No one outside of Schembechler Hall expected Michigan football to beat Ohio State in Columbus in 2024, yet the then 6-5 Wolverines emerged from The Horseshoe victorious, upsetting the Buckeyes, 13-10. OSU went on to win the national championship in the newly expanded 12-team College Football Playoff while the maize and blue shocked the world by upending Alabama (a team many thought belonged in the playoff), 19-13, in the ReliaQuest Bowl.
At the moment, the Wolverines have bragging rights over the Buckeyes, especially since last year’s down year followed a major coaching change after Jim Harbaugh won the national championship the year before.
Recent history favors the Wolverines
The rivalry tends to be cyclical, with Michigan and Ohio State essentially splitting the 70s and 80s before the Wolverines dominated the 90s. But when Jim Tressel took over in 2001, the rivalry shifted toward the scarlet and gray in a big way, with Michigan only getting one win over ‘The Senator’ (2003) before losing seven straight. Brady Hoke got a win over interim head coach Luke Fickell in 2011, but when Urban Meyer came to Columbus, the Wolverines never beat the Buckeyes, with eight straight losses coming to him and one to current head coach Ryan Day (in 2019).
But the Wolverines turned the tide after a down 2020 campaign, which saw Michigan have to cancel The Game (and the preceding Maryland game) due to COVID depletion. The resurgent 2021 team shocked No. 2 Ohio State by winning, 42-27, in Ann Arbor. Self-proclaimed ‘Buckeye Nation’ was sure that it was a one-off victory by the maize and blue and that ‘rent’ would be ‘due’ the next year in Columbus. However, on the back of a strong second-half defensive performance and two long Donovan Edwards touchdown runs, Michigan won that 2022 contest, 45-23. It followed up with a thrilling 30-24 win in Ann Arbor the next year, which propelled the Wolverines to the Rose Bowl and ultimately the national championship.
Then there was the surprising 2024 result. Can Michigan make it five in a row, especially with the next game taking place in Ann Arbor? ESPN seems to think so.
ESPN predicts yet another victory for Michigan over Ohio State in 2025
The ‘worldwide leader’ put out a series of lists with 100 days to go until Week 0 and in ESPN’s 10 bold predictions, it anticipates that the victors valiant will emerge victorious against the Buckeyes yet again.
Ohio State loses to Michigan … again: The Buckeyes are national champions. Last year’s team was elite, and this year’s could be just as good. There’s no reason to be anything but joyous in Columbus. Only … the fine folks from that state up north do have something of a trump card. Michigan’s four straight wins over Ohio State make for some pretty good bragging rights, even if the playoff trophy resides at the Horseshoe. 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?
With Bryce Underwood likely taking over the quarterback position and the offense likely taking a step forward under Chip Lindsey, that side of the ball should be vastly superior to last year’s iteration. Also, there are reasons to think that Michigan could have a defense either commensurate or even better than last year’s team — despite losing two first-round NFL draft picks in the defensive interior.
Given Michigan’s style of play requires complementary football, if the offense is competent, not only could the Wolverines upset the Buckeyes for yet another season, it wouldn’t surprise if they went much further than the current belief across college football that they’ll be a middle-of-the-pack squad again this year. Especially given that Michigan doesn’t face most of the top teams in the Big Ten (such as Penn State or Oregon) in the regular season.
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