Alright folks, it’s that time of year again; time for turkey and apple pie followed by a day of shopping until you drop (yes, Black Friday actually makes “shop ’til you drop” a real thing). For many people, Saturday is a day of rest and relaxation after the endless calories consumed and dollars spent for Thanksgiving — but for Michigan, according to Bob Ufer, Saturday would be the holy day of obligation if football were a religion (which for Wolverines, it is).
The Saturday after Thanksgiving is the matchup between the greatest rivalry in all of college sports: Michigan vs. Ohio State. There are no other matchups that compare, and you better believe that UMich and Ohio State fans know it. History has shown that the season records and prior heartbreaking losses and triumphant wins become obsolete when these two teams step foot on the field.
The rivalry truly began when Bo Schembechler coached his first year at Michigan in 1969 against his mentor, Ohio State coach, Woody Hayes. That first year, the Buckeyes were defending national champions (hmm, sounds familiar). Bo’s team managed to take the Buckeyes down that year, 24-12. The following years intensified the rivalry, later to be coined the “Ten Year War,” and was the beginning of a matchup unheard of in college sports.
If you flash forward to now, the Wolverines hold an overall lead in the record against the Buckeyes, 58-46-6. However, they’ve only managed to win twice since 2001. For the past decade or so, Michigan Football has fallen seemingly short of expectations. Crazy things have happened in the last year and Michigan went from a 5-7 record under Brady Hoke last year to a 9-2 record under Jim Harbaugh, and it ain’t over yet. There’s still one big regular season game looming: Ohio State.
Ohio State was on a 23-game win streak until last weekend when they were upset by Michigan State. With a team that’s clearly been rattled by the loss, they will be traveling to Ann Arbor to face Michigan at the Big House on November 28th. For Michigan fans, it’s a matchup that comes but once a year, and this year, it’s a little bit sweeter. With a new coach who has turned a downward spiraling program into a serious contender in less than one short year, Michigan is ready to put up a fight and everyone knows that anything can and will happen on Saturday. Oh and did I mention that the Buckeyes are the defending national champions? Some people say that history repeats itself…
But there’s only one way to know for sure.
See you Saturday, Ohio. We’re waiting. And we’re ready.
Images courtesy of: The Michigan Journal, Giphy, The University of Michigan Bentley Library, and Bleacher Report