Famed OSU–Michigan Rivalry Has More at Stake This Year

There is less disparity this year in the 121st edition of college football’s famed Ohio State–Michigan rivalry—with no shortage of drama in the highly anticipated contest.

Ohio State—undefeated, the defending national champion, and current No. 1–ranked team—will travel to Michigan Stadium to face the No. 15 Wolverines on Saturday. The game, to air on Fox, has a solid chance to become the most-watched college football game of the season, supplanting the Week 1 contest between the Buckeyes and then–No. 1 Texas, which drew an average of 16.62 million. 

With both teams ranked this year, there is more at stake compared to last time the teams played, when an unranked Michigan team upset Ohio State, 13–10, serving as the final speed bump in the Buckeyes’ eventual run to the national title. 

At 11–0, Ohio State is a lock for the 2025 College Football Playoff regardless of what happens, and a win would help seal a No. 1 overall seed in the tournament. Michigan is fielding a 9–2 record but still trails the Buckeyes, as well as Indiana and Oregon, in the Big Ten. The Wolverines are still potentially in play for a CFP bid, and a win over the Buckeyes would enhance their chances considerably. A CFP path with a loss, however, is all but nonexistent.

More simply, though, the Buckeyes are looking to avoid a fifth straight loss to the archrival Wolverines.

“Fun is kicking ass. That’s what we want to do on Saturday,” Ohio State coach Ryan Day said Tuesday. “There’s nothing funny about this at all, but the fun part is winning.”

Security concerns will also be paramount after last year’s clash ended with a series of postgame fights. No arrests or citations were made, but the two schools were fined $100,000 each after a flag-planting incident at the center of Ohio Stadium touched off the brawl. As is the case for major rivalry games, Michigan plans to elevate its security staffing both inside and outside of the stadium, but it has not detailed its protocols further.