Once upon a time, Michigan football appeared to take the rival Buckeyes to the south lightly. While the Wolverines always want to win The Game, there was a near-fanatical version of preparation taking place for it in Columbus each year, and Ohio State thus dominated the rivalry.
Last year, the script flipped.
Michigan put an onus on beating OSU starting in spring ball, and it looks like nothing has changed this year. Of course, fans and scribes of the scarlet and gray are proclaiming 2021 to be an aberration, and that revenge is nigh, but the maize and blue will have something to say about it first.
On Tuesday, head coach Jim Harbaugh appeared on the Stoney and Jansen show on 97.1 The Ticket in metro Detroit, and he revealed that his one-time stance of preparing for each team the week it appears on the schedule is not something that’s happening in regard to the rival in Ohio. Those days are long in the past.
“We’ve really just given a sufficient amount of time to Ohio State every week and most on the team we’re playing, so there’s nothing that’s new this week,” Harbaugh said Tuesday on the Stoney & Jansen Show. “It’s been a steady following, preparing for Ohio State for months now. Call it for what it is, it’s been a mix. We’ve been preparing for Ohio State and also the team we’re playing.”
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Currently, Michigan football is ranked No. 3 in the country, behind Ohio State at No. 2. Both teams are 10-0, and though OSU is thought to be favored, such was the case last year, as well. Still, the Wolverines shocked the world, winning 42-27, behind a strong defense and stellar run game. Again, Michigan has both of those elements. The question is, will it be enough to stop a team hellbent on revenge?
We’ll find out on Nov. 26 in Columbus.
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