By The Numbers: A Closer Look At The Storied Histories Of Michigan And OSU
To many, Michigan and Ohio State is the best rivalry in all of sports.
Among the reasons the game has been such a monumental event are the proximity of the schools, their rich traditions of success in football, their large national fan bases and, in many cases, the implications of the game for conference titles, national rankings and bowl invites.
The fact that each school has been so consistently dominant has increased the magnitude of the meetings — in fact, through 2010 (the final season of the non-divisional league format), the two teams had affected the determination of the conference title 27 different times.
This was perhaps never more evident than from 1969-1978, a period known as 'The Ten-Year War.' The sacred decade in the rivalry's history pitted two of college football's coaching titans against one another — Bo Schembechler of Michigan and Woody Hayes of Ohio State.
During the 10-year span, either U-M or OSU won the conference every single season, with both programs tying for the title six different times.
In fact, no other team won the Big Ten during that span, with the exception of a shared championship by Michigan State (with Michigan) in 1978.
The Wolverines and Buckeyes have also often met with national title aspirations on the line.
In 1995, Ohio State visited Ann Arbor with a perfect 11-0 record and ranked No. 2 in the country. Michigan pulled off a 31-23 upset, though, behind 313 rushing yards (most in the rivalry's history) from running back Tim Biakabutuka, ending any national title hopes the Buckeyes had.
The Wolverines did the exact same thing to OSU the following year. Michigan traveled to Columbus to face another undefeated and second-ranked Buckeye squad, but the Maize and Blue pulled off a 13-9 upset, once again ending Ohio State's national title hopes.
The roles were reversed the following year in 1997. OSU came to Ann Arbor in the season finale to face undefeated and top-ranked Michigan trying to return the favor, but Michigan picked up a 21-14 victory and went on to win the national championship.
The 2006 matchup between the two rivals featured the most at stake in the rivalry's history, though. Ohio State and Michigan faced each other ranked No. 1 and No. 2, respectively, for the first time ever, with an automatic berth in the national championship on the line.
OSU won a 42-39 thriller and secured a spot in the title game, though many felt Michigan deserved a rematch, despite the loss.
The Wolverines didn't receive their wish, though, and the Buckeyes went on to get blown out by Florida in the championship game.
To get a better understanding of the winning tradition that Michigan and Ohio State hold, here is a look at where each school stands in several of college football's most important categories:
| Category | Michigan (National Rank) | Ohio State (National Rank) |
|---|---|---|
|
All-time wins |
943 (1st) |
895 (4th) |
|
Claimed national titles |
11 (2nd) |
8 (6th) |
|
Conference titles |
42 (3rd) |
37 (5th) |
|
Heisman winners |
3 (5th) |
7 (1st) |
|
Consensus All-Americans |
81 (3rd) |
83 (2nd) |
|
All-time winning percentage |
73.1 (1st) |
72.4 (4th) |
|
Bowl appearances |
45 (11th) |
47 (10th) |
By the Numbers: Ohio State at Michigan
5-4-1 Was Michigan head coach Bo Schembechler's record against Ohio State's Woody Hayes in The Ten-Year War from 1969-1978. Schembechler kicked off the decade with a monumental 24-12 upset of No. 1 Ohio State in 1969.
33 Michigan seniors will be honored before kickoff on Saturday. That number also includes redshirt juniors, who could potentially return to the team next season.
50 Percent better is redshirt freshman quarterback Brandon Peters' health than he was on Saturday, according to Jim Harbaugh on the "Inside Michigan Football" radio show Monday night. Peters suffered a head injury against Wisconsin this past weekend, but the Wolverines are still hoping he can play this Saturday.
58-49-6 Is Michigan's all-time record against Ohio State.
100th Consecutive season the two rivals will be facing each other. The programs first met in 1897, and have played every year since 1918.
1986 Was when then-senior quarterback Jim Harbaugh guaranteed a victory over Ohio State in the season finale. "I guarantee we'll beat Ohio State and be in Pasadena New Year's Day," Harbaugh said. "People might not give us a snowball's chance in hell to beat them in Columbus, but we're going to." Harbaugh delivered on his promise, and the Wolverines won, 26-24.
2000 Was when ESPN ranked Michigan/Ohio State as the greatest rivalry in North American sports. Their writeup on "The Game" can be seen here.
2011 Was the last time Michigan defeated Ohio State. The Wolverines won a 40-34 thriller in Ann Arbor in Brady Hoke's first season on an unseasonably warm and sunny November day.
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