Michigan–Ohio State football rivalry
College football rivalry in the United States / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Michigan–Ohio State football rivalry, referred to as The Game by some fans and sports commentators,[2][3][4] is an American college football rivalry game that is played annually between the Michigan Wolverines and the Ohio State Buckeyes. As of 2023, Michigan and Ohio State are the winningest and third winningest programs in NCAA Division I football history, respectively.[5][6] The rivalry has gathered profound national interest as many of the games determined the Big Ten Conference title and the resulting Rose Bowl Game matchups, as well as the outcome of the NCAA Division I college football championship. In 2000, the game was ranked by ESPN as the greatest North American sports rivalry ever.[7] The rivalry is listed in Rivals!: The Ten Greatest American Sports Rivalries of the 20th Century, published by Wiley.[8] Encyclopædia Britannica includes the rivalry as one of the ten great sports rivalries in history.[9]
First meeting | October 16, 1897 Michigan 34, Ohio State 0 Regents Field |
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Latest meeting | November 25, 2023 Michigan 30, Ohio State 24 Michigan Stadium |
Next meeting | November 30, 2024 Ohio Stadium |
Statistics | |
Meetings total | 119 |
All-time series | Michigan leads, 61–51–6[1][n 1] |
Largest victory | Michigan 86, Ohio State 0 (1902) |
Longest win streak | Michigan, 9 (1901–1909) |
Current win streak | Michigan, 3 (2021–present) |
The teams first met in 1897, and the rivalry had been played annually and uninterrupted from 1918 until 2020, when it was not held due to a Covid-19 outbreak on Michigan's football team during the coronavirus pandemic. The game has been played at the end of the regular season since 1935 (except for 1942, 1986, 1998, and 2020). Since 1918, the game's site has alternated between Ann Arbor, Michigan (in odd-numbered years) and Columbus, Ohio (in even-numbered years), and has been played in Ohio Stadium since 1922 and Michigan Stadium since 1927. Through 2010, Ohio State and Michigan have decided the Big Ten Conference championship between themselves on 22 different occasions, and affected the determination of the conference title an additional 27 times.[10]
For many years, the game aired on ABC, usually in the 12 midday Eastern time slot, and for many years, ESPN College GameDay has originated that weekend from the game site.[11] Beginning with the 2017 season, the game airs on Fox as a result of that network acquiring the Big Ten's tier-1 rights in the most recent broadcasting contract, and GameDay competitor Big Noon Kickoff originates from the game site.[12][13] In 2021, 2022, and 2023, ESPN and Fox's pre-game shows both originated at the same time from the game site.[14][15][16] It is often the most viewed college football game of the regular season.[17][18]