Michigan Vs Ohio State: The New Ten Year War

By: Brock Vierra

College Football is dominated by rivalries. Now in this new era of conference realignment, we the fans are losing these great matchups left and right but the historic rivalry known as The Game, the matchup between Michigan and Ohio State looks secure for the future and now that both teams are competitive again, we are in the midst of a new Ten Year War. Now the original war lasted from 1969 to 1978. Ohio State led by Woody Hayes was dominating college football and he had won seven of the last nine games against Michigan. In 1969, with hopes of jumpstarting the Wolverines program, Michigan hired former Woody Hayes player and assistant coach Bo Schembechler. Schembechler had just finished his sixth year at Miami (Ohio) with a record of 40-17-3. It should be noted that Hayes was also the head coach at Miami (Ohio) before he went to OSU. Those ten years defined the Big 10 and helped explode both programs to a new level of national relevancy. Here we are, 40+ years later and many believe we are upon another streak of great games between the Wolverines and the Buckeyes. We have two big-time coaches Ryan Day and Jim Harbaugh, two programs competing for national titles, and two brands that are known globally. However, I believe we are already in the midst of the second Ten-Year War and the ending may be here a lot quicker than we expect. Let’s look at the history of Day versus Harbaugh.

2019: A New Day, The Same Old Story. Ohio St defeats Michigan 56-27. Ryan Day is no stranger to this great rivalry. The offensive coordinator under Urban Meyer, a man who went 7-0 against Michigan during his time in Columbus had plenty of experience and one of the best rosters in college football. He was also no stranger to the responsibilities of being a head coach. Having won 11 games already in 2019, Day also coached three games (all victories) in 2018 as Urban Meyer served a suspension. Michigan kept it close early with Ohio State leading 14-13 after the first quarter but it was all Buckeyes after that. Justin Fields had himself a day at the Big House. 14-25, 302 passing yards with four touchdowns would’ve been enough to lift the Buckeyes over the Wolverines but running back J.K. Dobbins’ 211 rushing yards and four touchdowns routed any hopes of a comeback. A roster with seven first-rounders punched Ohio State’s ticket to the college football playoff while Michigan lost the Citrus Bowl against Alabama.

2020: The Game Never Played. Before COVID recked the world, we the fans were gearing up for another edition of The Game that was to feature two young, talented, hyped-up Quarterbacks in Ohio State’s Justin Fields and Michigan’s Joe Milton. However as mentioned, COVID ruined everything, including The Game itself. Michigan came out and said that they couldn’t field an eligible team against Ohio State and the Buckeyes were pissed. Not only did OSU not get an opportunity to smoke their rival at home, but at that point in the 2020 season, the Big 10 required a team to play six games to qualify for the Big 10 conference championship game and the game against Michigan would’ve given OSU their sixth game. The cancellation messed things up so badly, the Big 10 changed the rules (and rightfully so) so OSU could get into the game and eventually into the CFP.

Many Buckeyes fans believe to this day that Michigan could’ve fielded an eligible team but didn’t as they were four-touchdown underdogs and that the Wolverines were so scarred to the point that they broke a 102-year tradition. There has been no evidence to confirm this but this was the start of tensions between Day and Harbaugh. Day never bought into the conspiracy that Michigan ran away but it is clear that the cancellation almost ruined Ohio State’s National Championship hopes. Things in the offseason were further escalated when Harbaugh accused Day and his staff of NCAA violations, an accusation that was also unfounded and something Day rightfully took offense to. Then a report came out that stated that Ryan Day told his team that they would “hang 100” on Michigan when they met in 2021, fueling the flames of an already touchy situation.

2021: Michigan Gets Their Get Back & a First Time Ticket to Indy. Michigan wins 42-27. Two years since their last meeting and these are two different teams. The Ohio State roster is molded in the vision of Ryan Day sporting the best offense in college football. Wide receivers Garrett Wilson, Chris Olave, and Jaxon Smith-Njigba were plucking C.J. Stroud’s passes out of the sky on their way to a 10-1 (8-0) record. Their only loss was an early year defeat to Oregon but they have been unstoppable ever since. Michigan was 11-1 (7-1) with their only loss to in-state rival Michigan State in East Lancing. #2 Ohio State. #5 Michigan. The winner plays for the Big 10 championship and a shot at the college football playoffs, the loser loses their chance at both.

The game started out great for Michigan. A touchdown on their first drive and a red zone trip on their second before Cade McNamara threw an interception made Wolverine fans believe this could be the year. Michigan dominated in the trench. Offensively, their offensive line led the way. Michigan rushed for 297 yards on the day with Hassan Haskins rushing individually for 169 yards and 5 touchdowns off of 28 carries. A.J. Henning had the other Michigan touchdown off of a reverse.  On the defensive side, edge rushers Aiden Hutchinson and David Ojabo were getting after Stroud all day. Hutchinson had three sacks and Ojabo had one. Brilliant performances by DBs Vincent Grey, DJ Turner II, and future first-round pick Daxton Hill held Ohio State just enough to secure the victory despite Stroud’s 394 passing yards. Wilson and Smith-Njigba had over 100 receiving yards and Olave had 88. Michigan would clinch their first victory over Ohio State in a decade and they would parlay it into a Big 10 Championship and a spot in the CFP.

2022: The Flag Gets Planted at The Shoe. Michigan defeats Ohio State 45-23. One year later and we have the same storyline again. #2 Ohio State defends their home field against #3 Michigan, a place the Wolverines haven’t won at since 2003. Both teams are 11-0, with a ticket to Indy and the CFP on the line and the pressure is on. Ohio State has a new receiving star in Marvin Harrison Jr. Harrison Jr who broke out against Utah in the Rose Bowl became WR1 when Jaxon Smith-Njigba’s last year in Columbus was ruined due to injury. Stroud was a serious Heisman contender, their offensive line had three studs in Paris Johnson Jr, Luke Wypler, and Dawand Jones while they seemingly have finally found Chase Young’s replacement in J.T. Tuimoloau.

Michigan is sporting a different face at QB with the athletically gifted J.J. McCarthy who is protected by the best offensive line in football. However Michigan suffered a devastating loss in their win against Illinois the previous week as star running back Blake Corum was lost for the season due to injury. Michigan was not deterred as they were the more physical team. Harrison Jr was electric with 7 receptions for 120 yards and 1 touchdown. His pass-catching partner Emeka Egbuka also had 9 receptions, 125 yards, and a touchdown. However, Michigan’s defense forced C.J. Stroud into two interceptions and held Ohio State to field goals on three different possessions. A seemingly fake punt that wasn’t executed and just booted away added insult to injury.

For Michigan, as mentioned, they were the more physical team. Running back Donovan Edwards had 22 carries for 216 yards and two touchdowns, including two separate 75+ touchdown runs in the fourth quarter. Receiver Cornelius Johnson outmuscled Ohio State DBs on big lob passes for two scores. He had 160 yards in the game. For two straight years, Michigan won The Game, the Big 10, and booked a ticket to the CFP. Ohio State would go to the CFP as well. Both programs lost in their semi-final matchups.

2023 and beyond. For both programs, this year could define their futures. Ryan Day, a man who has yet to suffer the shocking in conference loss that plagued his predecessor has failed to live up to the lofty expectations of the Buckeyes nation. However, Marvin Harrison Jr, TreVeyon Henderson, and Cade Stover are back. Brian Hartline will bring in a new look as OC and Jim Knowles has another year to implement his defense. The Buckeyes are primed for both a great season and a potential trip back to the CFP. It would be Day’s third trip in four years and if we remember, despite Meyer’s national title victory, him and Day have been to the same amount of title games. A third straight loss to Michigan could have some calling for his job and he will be coaching a new QB this year as C.J. Stroud went to the NFL.

For Jim Harbaugh, there was a flirtation with the NFL this offseason but he recommitted himself to Ann Arbor. He will be suspended for the first four games due to an NCAA violation but with Michigan sporting an easy schedule, they should enter the 2023 edition of The Game undefeated. However, a trip to Penn State could spell a trap game for them. For Michigan, the pressure is on now. Now they’re the big dogs, the favorites, something they haven’t been since they were upset by Appalachian State in 2007. Harbaugh has yet to prove he can constantly win the big games despite his recent victories over OSU. He’s 1-2 against Mel Tucker, he got blown out by Georgia in the 2021 Orange Bowl and essentially threw away the game against TCU in the 2022 Fiesta Bowl, a game that Michigan was a 7.5-point favorite. He’s 1-6 in bowl games and occasionally struggles against mid-level Big 10 opponents. He does return a bunch of starters and has brought in some impressive transfers.

For me, neither coach will be leaving their respective programs soon and I expect both to have tremendous success for the foreseeable future. In the original Ten-Year War, Bo had the early advantage before Woody came storming back. I’m just happy games can’t end in ties anymore. Can a roster recruited by Ryan Day top Michigan? Can Michigan continue to be dominant or will they hit the wall that they always do? So many questions that only time will be able to tell but one of college football’s greatest rivalries has reached another stretch of greatness and I could not be happier so here’s to another Ten Year War!

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