Michigan Football: An upset can shift Ohio State rivalry

Upsets have played a huge role in the rivalry between Michigan football and Ohio State, and upsets tend to come before turning the tide.

Michigan football fans are right to wonder when the Wolverines will beat Ohio State again? It hasn’t happened since 2011 and with the gap between the two programs right now, it’s hard to predict when the Wolverines will beat OSU again.

Last week, the rivalry was a hot topic during Big Ten Media Days when Jim Harbaugh said that Michigan “Would get there or die trying” about beating the Buckeyes.

Josh Ross, Hassan Haskins, and Aidan Hutchinson all talked about how important it was and how “The Game” was being given more emphasis than ever before.

But does any of that lead you to believe that a team unranked at the start of the season is likely to upset one of college football’s juggernauts?

Will history repeat itself?

No, it doesn’t and it shouldn’t. But then again, some of the biggest and most defining wins in this series came as a shock.

Bo’s first win over Ohio State would certainly count as an upset as Michigan knocked off No. 1 Ohio State in a game that launched the 10-year war. Few expected the Wolverines to win that day and few will expect U-M to be victorious this November.

But it will happen and hopefully, it’s not just a fluke. Hopefully, it’s the start of a new era in the rivalry between Michigan and Ohio State, just like the win back in 1969, when the Wolverines stopped a 22-game winning steak and beat a team that bested it by 36 the year before.

The Buckeyes have felt the impact of upset wins too. Back in 2001, Ohio State was a 6-4 team, while Michigan was playing for a berth in the Rose Bowl. It was Jim Tressel’s debut game. The Buckeyes won and a year later, they were celebrating a national title.

Back in 1995 and 1996, Michigan football beat Ohio State in back-to-back years, even though Ohio State was more talented and both years, had national title hopes. But the Wolverines won those games and then won a top-5 showdown in 1997 on its way to winning the national title.

Troy Smith also had a hand in it, winning as young quarterback during the 2004 Michigan-Ohio State game. OSU, which was 6-4 once again, dominated 9-1 Michigan. Two years later, Smith, who won three straight against the Wolverines as a starting QB, led OSU to the national title game.

The point is that we might not see Michigan’s next win coming against Ohio State until it actually happens. This year would count as a major upset, at least where both teams stand in the preseason, and while it seems impossible, it wouldn’t be the first time.

Just like Marc Dantonio said about Michigan-MSU, “Pride comes before the fall.”

At some point, someday, Ohio State will overlook Michigan. It’s not likely to happen this November, but that’s the point, we didn’t see a lot of the other wins mentioned above coming either.