Yearly, The Recreation issues.
It’s Ohio State. It’s Michigan.
Little else must be mentioned.
This 12 months, amplify that.
A number of it.
The stakes couldn’t be larger.
The storylines are countless.
The blood feud generally known as Ohio State-Michigan has layers upon layers to it.
No Jim Harbaugh on the Michigan sideline, the coach serving the ultimate recreation of his suspension for the Wolverines’ sign-stealing scandal.
Ohio State out to snap two straight lopsided losses to Michigan and hoping to take action with a quarterback, Kyle McCord, making its debut on this famed rivalry.
Final 12 months, Ohio State was nonetheless in a position to sneak into the playoff regardless of shedding to Michigan, which carries a 23-game Massive Ten successful streak into the showdown.
The loser this 12 months is probably going out, with so many different playoff contenders with comparable or higher resumes lurking.
“I believe it’s precisely how I dreamed of it,” Ohio State star wideout Marvin Harrison Jr. informed reporters this week. “Each groups undefeated. I don’t even know what the rankings are, however that is precisely how I needed it to be.”
The 2 groups do appear headed in reverse instructions regardless of their undefeated data.
Ohio State has overwhelmed its final 4 opponents, Wisconsin, Rutgers, Michigan State and Minnesota, by a mixed 134-32.
Not like final 12 months’s recreation, when it was with out key skill-position gamers TreVeyon Henderson and Jaxon Smith-Njigba, the Buckeyes are wholesome and appeared prepared for a recreation of this stature.
The protection, second within the nation in factors allowed (9.3) actually does, a vastly improved unit than the one which allowed a mixed 87 within the two earlier conferences with Michigan.
Ohio State has “scars” from these performances, in keeping with coach Ryan Day.
“It simply drives you every single day to work tougher and to be sure you do the whole lot you presumably can to win the sport,” Day mentioned
Michigan, in the meantime, is trending within the mistaken path.
The off-the-field drama has not helped the Wolverines, it seems.
They struggled the final two weeks in opposition to Penn State and Maryland, lucky to outlive these contests in opposition to the 2 finest groups they’ve confronted this season.
Harbaugh’s absence certain appears to have been robust for his gamers to cope with, enjoying sub-par video games the earlier two Saturdays.
And, let’s not neglect, this crew has performed an extremely tender schedule, beating East Carolina, UNLV and Bowling Inexperienced in non-conference play.
At the least Ohio State confronted Notre Dame.
In fact, none of that issues if Michigan prevails once more this 12 months. A 3rd straight journey to the playoff would virtually actually observe.
“With the ability to get on high of that rivalry the final two years has been enormous, and we don’t plan on being on the opposite facet of that in any respect anymore,” quarterback J.J. McCarthy informed the Related Press.
Clearly, simpler mentioned than executed.
The scandal has rocked this system, creating questions with out many solutions.
There was a authorized battle between Michigan and the Massive Ten following the suspension.
Initially, Michigan utilized for a brief restraining order to dam the suspension, however that authorized submitting was later withdrawn.
Offensive coordinator Sherrone Moore has served because the appearing head coach instead of Harbaugh.
“It’s been robust; not simply even this recreation, these final two video games,” Michigan working again Blake Corum mentioned. “Coach Harbaugh means a lot to this program, however particularly to myself and the blokes. He’s fashioned a tradition right here; he’s a gamers’ coach. Nice man. We love enjoying for him; plenty of us would run via a wall for him.”
They’ll need to win extra time with out him or this season of such excessive expectations in Ann Arbor is unlikely to incorporate the playoff.