Michigan-Ohio State rivalry
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The Michigan-Ohio State rivalry is the intense rivalry between the University of Michigan and The Ohio State University football teams.
The yearly matchup between the two Midwest state schools has been held at the end of the regular season since 1935.[1] Since 1918, the game has alternated location between Columbus, Ohio, and Ann Arbor, Michigan, and has been played in Ohio Stadium since 1922 and Michigan Stadium since 1927. Since each school routinely ranks among the strongest in the country, the game often has implications upon Big Ten Conference titles and national championships. Michigan and Ohio State were ranked by ESPN in 2000 as the greatest North American sports rivalry.[2]
The rivalry between Ohio State and Michigan can be traced back to a feud between their respective states which began in 1835. The state of Ohio and the Michigan Territory fought a nearly-bloodless conflict with one another in a border dispute known as the Toledo War. Some have proposed that the college football rivalry is a modern manifestation of this historical tension.[3]
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[edit] History
[edit] Early years (1897-1949)
The inaugural meeting between Ohio State and Michigan at Ann Arbor in 1897 was a blowout victory for Michigan's Wolverines, who posted a shutout 34-0 over Ohio State's Buckeyes. The first game served as an omen for Ohio State as Michigan won or tied every match from 1897 to 1912, compiling a 12-0-2 record before the contest was postponed for several years.
The rivalry spilled into the Big Ten Conference in 1918, a year after Michigan rejoined the conference from a ten year hiatus. Ohio State became a member in 1912. Michigan won the first conference matchup, 14-0, completing their eleventh shutout over the Buckeyes, including a 0-0 tie in 1900. The Buckeyes won their first game in the series in 1919, defeating the Wolverines 13-3, and took the following two contests to bring the series record to 13-3-2.
The first of many historic games in the long series took place on October 21, 1922, the day Ohio Stadium was dedicated in Columbus. In front of a record 71,000 fans, the Wolverines posted another shutout of the home-team Buckeyes, 19-0. There was a wager on the outcome of this game. The yellow flowers on a blue background still exist today in the upper part of the stadium's rotunda[4]. Michigan won the next five games before OSU picked up the final two victories of the decade. At the end of the 1920s, the series stood at 19-5-2 in favor of Michigan.
Michigan won three of four contests between 1930 and 1933, claiming the national championship twice. Ohio State then ran off four straight shutout victories, outscoring the Wolverines 112-0 from 1934 to 1937, followed by Michigan winning three straight from 1938 to 1940. The 1940 game, a 40-0 blowout, was the benchmark performance of what some consider to be the greatest Michigan team in history, and was the final collegiate game of the legendary tailback tandem of Tom Harmon and Paul Kromer.
In 1941, Michigan and Ohio State met with each team ranked in the AP Poll, which had started in 1936, for the first time. The 14th-ranked Buckeyes played the #5 Wolverines to a 20-20 tie in Ann Arbor. Five more times during the 1940s, the teams were both ranked for their annual matchup. Michigan won five of the next seven games before playing to their second tie of the decade in 1949. The series record stood at 30-12-4 at the mid-century mark.
[edit] “The Snow Bowl” and Woody Hayes (1950-1968)
The 1950 contest, colloquially known as the Snow Bowl, is perhaps the most famous game in the rivalry. Eighth-ranked Ohio State, coached by Wes Fesler, was scheduled to host the game on November 25 in Columbus amidst one of the worst blizzards on Ohio record. The Buckeyes, who led the Big Ten, were granted the option to cancel the game against Michigan, which would have, by default, given the Buckeyes the Big Ten title outright and won them a trip to Pasadena for the Rose Bowl. Ohio State refused, and the game was set to be played. Amid howling snow and wind, in what was probably the most literal example of a "field position" game, the teams exchanged 45 punts, often on first down, in hopes that the other team would fumble the ball near or into their own end zone. Despite not obtaining a single first down, Michigan capitalized on two blocked punts, recovering one in the end zone for a touchdown and booting another one out of bounds for a safety. Michigan gained a 9-3 victory, securing the Big Ten title and a Rose Bowl berth. Heavy criticism of Fesler's play calling led to his resignation and the hiring of Woody Hayes as his successor.
Between 1951 and 1968 under Hayes, the Buckeyes won 12 of 18 contests, including a 1957 victory in Michigan Stadium, the first game in the series attended by over 100,000 fans. In 1958, Ohio State had a 20-14 lead towards the end of the game. On the final play, Michigan fullback Gene Sisinyak ran the ball from the one-yard line for what might have been a game winning touchdown, but Ohio State defensive tackle Dick Schafrath hit Sisinyak, forcing a fumble. In the 1968 game, Ohio State won 50-14, outscoring their foe 29-0 in second half and succeeding on a two-point conversion attempt on their final touchdown; when asked why he went for two with a 48-14 lead, Woody Hayes is rumored to have said, "Because I couldn't go for three." The victory gave top-ranked Ohio State the Big Ten title for the first time in seven years en route to an AP national championship. The Buckeyes had also narrowed the series margin to 37-24-4.
[edit] “The Ten-Year War” and Earle Bruce era (1969-1987)
On November 22, 1969, Hayes led his top-ranked Buckeyes into Michigan Stadium against Bo Schembechler, a first-year head coach who had once been an assistant under Hayes at OSU. The Buckeyes rode a 22-game winning streak, but behind an inspiring 60-yard punt return by Barry Pierson that set up a Wolverine touchdown in the second quarter, the Wolverines won a defensive standoff for a 24-12 upset.
The contest was the first of the famous “Ten-Year War” between Hayes and Schembechler which pitted some of OSU’s and UM’s strongest teams ever. Four times between 1970 and 1975, Ohio State and Michigan were both ranked in the top five of the AP Poll before their matchup. The Wolverines entered every game during those years undefeated and won only once, a 10-7 victory in Ann Arbor on November 20, 1971.
In 1973, both teams entered undefeated, the winner guaranteed a trip to the Rose Bowl. The rivals played to a 10-10 tie in Ann Arbor on November 24, and the athletic directors of the other Big Ten institutions were forced to vote on the Big Ten representative for the bowl game. In a secret ballot, Ohio State won the vote, amid outraged Michigan officials and fans. It was rumored that Michigan State University voted for Ohio State, although a more likely reason why the Buckeyes won the secret ballot was the injury suffered by Michigan quarterback Denny Franklin in the UM-OSU game. It was unclear if Franklin would be ready to play in the Rose Bowl, and the Big Ten ADs may have felt Ohio State would therefore have a better chance to win the bowl game. Schembechler argued that Michigan was robbed of its on-field achievements, and for months afterward, Ohio State newspapers were flooded with angry Wolverine letters and threats of lawsuits.
During the “Ten-Year War,” Ohio State and Michigan shared the Big Ten title six times. The “War” ended in 1978 after Schembechler won his final game against his mentor, 14-3, giving him a record of 5-4-1 against Hayes, who was fired at the end of the season. At the end of the Hayes tenure, the series stood at 42-28-5.
Earle Bruce took over for Hayes after he was fired and led the Buckeyes to a 5-4 record against Schembechler's Wolverines between 1979 and 1987, perhaps the most balanced stretch of the storied rivalry, during which neither team won more than two consecutive games. After 1987, the series stood at 46-33-5 in favor of UM.
[edit] John Cooper era (1988-2000)
The next thirteen games, during John Cooper's tenure as Buckeye coach, were dominated by Michigan. The most notorious matchups took place in 1993, 1995, and 1996, in which Ohio State entered each game without a loss. Ranked fifth in 1993, the 9-0-1 Buckeyes were upset by an unranked Michigan squad in Ann Arbor, 28-0. Undefeated again in 1995, #2 Ohio State, led by eventual Heisman Trophy winner Eddie George and future NFL stars Orlando Pace and Terry Glenn, was defeated 31-23 behind the 313 rushing yards of Wolverine running back Tim Biakabutuka. The Buckeyes, again ranked #2, entered the 1996 contest 10-0, but Michigan once again dashed their national title hopes with a 13-9 victory in Columbus.
In 1997, Ohio State traveled to Ann Arbor with a single loss and a #4 ranking, but the Wolverines were undefeated and sat atop the AP Poll. Spearheaded by the play of eventual Heisman winner Charles Woodson, who ran a punt back for a touchdown and intercepted a pass in the Michigan endzone, the Wolverines prevailed 20-14, on their way to a 21-16 Rose Bowl victory over Washington State and a share of the national championship. Michigan lost the 1998 contest in Columbus but won the next two in 1999 and 2000. At the end of the 2000 season, John Cooper was fired. While he fielded strong teams that consistently vied for the national title, his 2-10-1 record against Michigan, including an 0-6 mark in Ann Arbor, contributed to his dismissal.
[edit] 2001-2005
In 2001, Jim Tressel, winner of four Division I-AA national titles at Youngstown State, took over as Buckeye head coach. In his first year, Tressel registered the Buckeyes' first defeat of the Wolverines in Ann Arbor in 14 years, by a 26-20 score. The next year he achieved what Cooper could not, beating Michigan in consecutive years with a win in Columbus 14-9. The game was decided on the last play when defensive back Will Allen intercepted a pass in the end zone as time expired to clinch the victory. The Buckeyes went on to defeat Miami in the Fiesta Bowl and win a national championship. In 2003, Michigan struck back and won the 100th meeting between the historical rivals by a score of 35-21 in Ann Arbor. The game's attendance was 112,118, the largest crowd ever for an NCAA football game. [5] Ohio State countered by winning the meetings in 2004, 2005, and 2006.
[edit] 2006 - #1 vs #2
On November 18, 2006, Ohio State and Michigan met for their annual showdown, each carrying an 11-0 record. For the first time the two rivals faced off while holding the top two spots in the Bowl Championship Series rankings. Ohio State won the game by a score of 42-39 and became the outright Big Ten champion, earning the right to play for a national championship at the BCS National Championship Game in Glendale, Arizona. Due to the game receiving large amounts of hype and exposure by ESPN/ABC (there was a game countdown clock for a week before kickoff), it was seen by the largest television audience for a regular season college football game since 1993, averaging 21.8 million viewers.[6] The victory marked the first time in 43 years that the Buckeyes won three consecutive games in the series. The game gained even more significance on the eve of the meeting, when former Ohio State assistant and Michigan head coach Bo Schembechler died. Schembechler was honored with a video tribute at Ohio Stadium before kickoff. [7] Following the November 18, 2006 game, there was a chance of a rematch in the BCS title game, but Florida was chosen over Michigan to be Ohio State's opponent.
To date, Tressel has a 5-1 record over Michigan and current Wolverines head coach Lloyd Carr, leaving Carr with a 6-6 career record against Ohio State. Michigan leads the overall series 57-40-6 and the conference series 45-40-4. Since 1950, the series has been remarkably even with Ohio State edging Michigan 28-27-2.
[edit] Game results
Winning team is shown in bold font.
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[edit] Series facts
- The 2006 game was the first time that Ohio State and Michigan met ranked #1 and #2 in the country.
- Only three times in history has the matchup pitted the two against each other with perfect records on the last game of the regular season. In 1970 OSU (8-0) and Michigan (9-0) met in Columbus, with the Buckeyes winning 20-9. Ohio State went on to lose to Stanford in the Rose Bowl. Then in 1973 OSU (9-0) traveled to Ann Arbor to take on Michigan (10-0), and the game ended in a 10-10 tie. Controversially, Ohio State was selected as the Big Ten's candidate to travel to the Rose Bowl, where they defeated USC. In 2006, Ohio State and Michigan met with both having 11-0 records. Ohio State won 42-39. Three other times (1902, 1906, and 1933) the two teams met each other with perfect records in early season matchups.
- Since 1935, Ohio State and Michigan have decided the Big Ten Conference championship between themselves on 21 different occasions including 2006.[8]
- Michigan's longest winning streak in the rivalry is nine games, from 1901-1909. Michigan also went without a loss in the first 15 games (13 wins and two ties). Ohio State's longest winning streak is four games, from 1934-1937 and 1960-1963.
- Michigan's largest victory margin was in 1902, when it won 86-0. Ohio State's largest victory margin was in 1935, when it posted a 38-0 shutout. OSU's highest point total in a game was 50, which occurred in 1961 and 1968.
- Michigan has been shut out in 11 games in the rivalry. Ohio State has been shut out 26 times. The second meeting between the schools resulted in a 0-0 tie.
- Between 1933 and 1940, the losing team was shut out every year. The teams split the meetings 4-4, with a combined winning-losing score of 206-0.
- The Ohio State Alma Mater “Carmen Ohio” was written on the train ride home to Columbus following the 1902 contest, which saw Ohio State losing to Michigan 86-0. The lyrics and melody (Spanish Chant) have remained largely unchanged since its conception.
- Although both football teams play in games for traveling trophies, there is no trophy for the Michigan-Ohio State game. However, often the Big Ten Championship Trophy is awarded to the winner. Per Ohio State tradition, if the Buckeyes win "The Game", each team member receives a pair of "Gold Pants," a small golden charm of football pants worn by football players on necklaces.
- Participants of the Ohio State-Michigan rivalry have produced two Heisman Trophy firsts. OSU running back Archie Griffin is the only player to ever win the Heisman twice, doing so in 1974 and 1975. Michigan cornerback Charles Woodson became the first primarily defensive player to win the award in 1997.
[edit] Cultural impact
- Toledo, Ohio is the "border" city in this rivalry. Michigan and Ohio State fans are evenly split there. This city also has "Buckeye & Wolverine" shops in the suburbs of Sylvania and Perrysburg.[9]
- In honor of the 100th meeting between the schools in 2003, US Representative Stephanie Tubbs Jones of Ohio proposed a resolution in the House to recognize Michigan and Ohio State as the "greatest sports rivalry in history." [10]
- In 2003, a judge in Columbus, Ohio allowed Jeff Renne, an inmate charged with forgery, to stay in a local jail so that he could watch the 100th game between OSU and Michigan. Renne told the judge that he would plead guilty as long as he could stay in jail for the weekend and watch the game before he was relocated to a prison.[11]
- In 2004, Michigan and Ohio State announced a deal with SBC Communications to sponsor their football game for the next two years for $1.06 million, to be split between the universities. The game would be dubbed the "SBC Michigan-Ohio State Classic" that year and the order of the school names would be switched the next. Advertisements were to be placed on billboards in Ohio Stadium, but not on the field or on player uniforms, nor anywhere in Michigan Stadium, where there is no commercial advertising. Fans and alumni of both schools were outraged and ultimately the deal was cancelled. The game remains unsponsored. [12]
- Following the general elections in 2006, the race in Ohio's 15th congressional district was disputed between incumbent Deborah Pryce and challenger Mary Jo Kilroy. The district delayed recounting votes until after the Michigan-Ohio State game in Columbus on November 18. [13]
- In 2006, half an hour after the Ohio State-Michigan game ended, the Ohio Lottery PICK 4 evening drawing was 4-2-3-9, matching the final score of the game and paying out $2.2 million.[14]
- In 2006, the Ohio High School Athletic Association had to change the times of many post-season high school football games because of the Ohio State-Michigan game. [15]
[edit] Footnotes
- ^ In 1942 both schools played one more regular season game the week after their matchup in Columbus. Michigan played Iowa at home and Ohio State hosted Iowa Navy Pre-Flight. In 1986 and 1998 Michigan concluded their regular season with trips to Honolulu to play Hawaii.
- ^ "The 10 greatest rivalries", The End of the Century, ESPN.com, 2000-01-03. Retrieved on 2006-12-21.
- ^ Emmanuel, Greg (2004). The 100-Yard War: Inside the 100-Year-Old Michigan-Ohio State Football Rivalry. John Wiley & Sons. ISBN 0-471-67552-0. Emmanuel's first chapter, "Hate: The Early Years," cites the origins of the 100-year competition between the two football teams as being borne out of the unfulfilled bloodlust of the militia troops.
- ^ The Five Greatest Traditions Of Ohio State Football, by Mike Furlan. Retrieved on November 20, 2006.
- ^ MGoBlue: Big Ten Champs! Football Beats Buckeyes in Big House
- ^ Gough, Paul. "Ohio State, Mich. run up ratings", The Hollywood Reporter, 2006-11-20.
- ^ NCAA Football - Michigan Wolverines/Ohio State Buckeyes Recap Saturday November 18, 2006 - Yahoo! Sports
- ^ http://bentley.umich.edu/bhl/exhibits/umosu/osumb10.htm
- ^ http://www.centralohio.com/ohiostate/stories/20021123/football/433532.html
- ^ The Library of Congress Thomas
- ^ http://www.cincypost.com/2003/11/19/osubrite11-19-2003.html
- ^ http://cbs.sportsline.com/collegefootball/story/7834384
- ^ http://www.freepress.org/departments/display/19/2006/2250
- ^ Lucky Bucks: Ohio lottery matches score
- ^ Ohio High School Athletic Association (2006-11-12). Division I Games and Two Division V Games Moved To Friday; All Other Saturday Games Moved To Noon. Press release. Retrieved on 2006-11-19.
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
| The University of Michigan, Ann Arbor |
