Ohio State fans got to enjoy a national championship season in 2024. It was a great four-game run, but it's also the most watered-down national title, certainly that Ohio State has ever won. Why? The 13-10 loss to Michigan.
Not only did that clinch a fourth straight win for the Wolverines, including two in a row in the Horseshoe, after not winning in Columbus for 22 years, it also ensured that Ohio State would fail to win the Big Ten championship (OSU finished 4th).
Thankfully, for Ryan Day and the Buckeyes, the playoff expanded last season, or Day would probably be looking for a new job.
Regardless, when Michigan football and Ohio State meet this November, it will be a matchup of the past two national championships. Both teams will have new starting quarterbacks. Michigan upgraded massively at the position with Bryce Underwood.
The Wolverines only needed 13 points to beat Ohio State.
Wink Martindale shut down the Buckeyes in 2024. The Michigan defense can do it again. And if the offense can throw the ball effectively, it will be an entirely different ballgame.
Basically, Michigan needed a miracle to complete a pass over 10 yards and still beat Ohio State. The Wolverines haven't just beaten Ohio State either, they have dominated them. Each of the past four games have been controlled by Michigan.
Ohio State hasn't led in the second half against Michigan since 2022, in a game the Wolverines ended up winning by 22. It would have been 29 if the refs didn't rob Michigan of a defensive TD
Last season, Ohio State could have gotten 20 possessions in the second half and still not scored a point -- running or throwing -- it wouldn't have mattered. Will Howard would have gotten killed if Day tried to drop-back pass, just like he did on the last drive with four straight incompletions.
Ohio State fans say it was cheating. It clearly wasn't. They have also said there is no way Michigan will win again, except they have said that since 2021, and the Wolverines beat OSU three more times.
Looking ahead to 2025, some bold predictions were made by ESPN for the 2025 college football season, including yet another win for the Wolverines over Ohio State. Here's an excerpt from the article.
"Last year's astonishing Buckeyes loss might've cost Ryan Day his job had the playoff not expanded to 12 and given Ohio State a second bite at the apple. And so, when this year's game comes around on Nov. 29, the buzz won't be about Ohio State's 2025 championship game win. It will be about the four straight losses, and that's an awfully big monkey now living on Day's back. So, we won't be too shocked if that dark cloud looms so large that the Buckeyes stumble yet again thanks to all of the outside noise. Would the Ohio State faithful be OK with a fifth straight loss to Michigan if it was followed by a second straight national title?"
We'll see what happens. But the tables in this rivalry have turned. Michigan is the team expecting to win now. That's a difficult thing to overcome, so nobody should be surprised if Michigan makes it five in a row.