The Series

This will be the 108th game in what is considered the greatest rivalry in college football. The two teams first met in 1897 and have played every year since 1918. Since 1935 the game has been the last conference game of the season. Michigan leads the series 57-43-6 (last year's game was vacated.) Ohio State has beat Michigan for seven straight years and nine of the last ten games. As I have said in past previews, I think it is worth looking at the record since Woody Hayes first season at OSU. Since 1951, OSU leads the series 31-26-2. Before Woody Hayes, Ohio State was considered the "graveyard of coaches." Starting with Woody Hayes, Ohio State took its rightful place in college football and in the series with Michigan.

The recent Ohio State coaches have the following records against Michigan: Woody Hayes went 16-11-1; Earle Bruce was 5-4; John Cooper was 2-10-1; and Jim Tressel was 9-1 (or 8-1 with last year vacated). The recent Michigan coaches have the following records against Ohio State: Bo Schembechler was 11-9-1; Gary Moeller was 3-1-1; Lloyd Carr was 6-7; and Rich Rodriguez was 0-3.

Last Year
Ohio State beat Michigan 37-7 last season. In addition to its seventh straight win over Michigan, the Buckeyes won a share of its sixth consecutive Big Ten Conference championship. Both teams moved the ball in the first quarter, but no one scored. OSU scored first with a FG early in the second quarter. After an 18 yard punt by Michigan, OSU moved the ball in five plays with Sanzenbacher catching the game's first touchdown. The Buckeyes scored their second of three touchdowns in the second quarter with a 85-yard kickoff return by Jordan Hall. It was his first career return for a touchdown. The third touchdown was a pass to Posey with three minutes left in the half. Michigan scored one touchdown in the second quarter, but couldn't reach the endzone for the rest of the game. Boom Herron had a then career high of 175 yards, including one 89-yard run and a 32-yard run for a touchdown in the third quarter. Barclay hit two more FGs in the third quarter for a total of three FGs. The Michigan offense struggled for most of the game and due to an ineffective substitute punter, Michigan was forced to go 1 of 5 on fourth downs.