The Series

This will be the 111th game in what is considered the greatest rivalry in all of sports. The two teams first met in 1897 and have played every year since 1918, a streak of 97 straight years. Since 1935 the game has been the last conference game of the season. Michigan leads the series 58-45-6. Ohio State had a streak broken in 2011 of six straight wins (2010 vacated). Ohio State has won 10 of the last 12 games. OSU leads the series 33-27-2 since Woody Hayes' first season at OSU in 1951. 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 Coaches
The recent Ohio State coaches have the following records against Michigan: Woody Hayes was 16-11-1; Earle Bruce was 5-4; John Cooper was 2-10-1; Jim Tressel was 8-1 (2010 vacated); Luke Fickell was 0-1; and Urban Meyer is 2-0. 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; Rich Rodriguez was 0-3; and Brady Hoke is 1-2.

Last Year
Ohio State won an exciting game with a final score of 42-41. The game was closer than expected as Michigan was able to move the ball with ease and had 603 yards of offense, which includes 451 yards passing. Michigan struck first with a drive capped off by a running touchdown by QB Devin Gardner. The two teams continued to trade touchdowns in the first quarter with a 53-yard touchdown pass between Braxton Miller and Devin Smith, a four yard touchdown run by Michigan, and a 53-yard touchdown run by Braxton Miller. Michigan scored early in the second quarter with a touchdown pass between Gardner and Jeremy Gallon. Ohio State scored in the closing minutes of the first half. The score was tied 21-21 at halftime. The Buckeye defense kept Michigan out of the endzone and scored two additional touchdowns with a run by Miller and a touchdown catch by Jeff Heuerman. Going into the fourth quarter Ohio State led 35-21. That lead was erased halfway through the fourth quarter after two touchdown passes by Michigan. Ohio State scored with two minutes remaining in the game, but Michigan had sufficient time to score a touchdown, with a score of 42-41. Michigan made the decision to attempt a two-point conversion, which failed when Tyvis Powell intercepted the pass. Ohio State secured the win with the recovery of the onside kick. Carlos Hyde had 226 rushing yards and Miller had 153 rushing yards. It was the first time both teams scored at least 41 points in the history of the rivalry.