3 reasons why Michigan Football will beat Ohio State

All the pressure is on Ohio State

Jim Harbaugh and the seventh version of his Michigan Wolverines finally got the proverbial “monkey off their back” last season by vanquishing the Buckeyes at home in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

Prior to that win — in every game against the Buckeyes sans 2015 — all the pressure in the world was on Harbaugh and his Wolverines.

Last year’s win changed things, and now the shoe is on the other foot.

If you perused Buckeye message boards and the Ohio State Twittersphere following the 42-27 beat down in 2021 you would come to the same conclusion as I did: Ohio State fans are ready to abandon ship if head coach Ryan Day drops another to “that team up north”.

That Buckeye narrative is much the same as we are in the heat of “The Game” week.

There’s no doubt about it, Michigan football got over the hump last year, and in a season where they weren’t expected to contend for the conference (let alone a college football playoff berth), they’re playing with house money.

The fact that the Wolverines are able to play free and loose and already know what it takes to beat the Buckeyes instills confidence not only in the players and coaches but in the fanbase as well.

And if we are betting on any coaching staff to perform well under pressure, I’m taking Jim Harbaugh and co. who’ve proven they have what it takes to get the job done in a big matchup, unlike the Ryan Day-led Buckeyes.