4/27/2021 football Edit

Michigan Football 2021 Schedule Countdown: No. 1, Ohio State

Clayton Sayfie • Maize&BlueReview

Staff Writer

Here is part nine of a 12-part series in which we count down Michigan Wolverines football's 2021 strength of schedule from the easiest game (12) to the most difficult contest (1). Checking in at No. 1 is Michigan's regular-season finale against Ohio State.

Ohio State Buckeyes football head coach Ryan Day took over for Urban Meyer, who resigned in amid controversy, after the 2018 season. (AP Images)

Head Coach: Ryan Day (3rd season) — 23-2 (.920)

Recruiting Rankings

2017 — 2nd

2018 — 2nd

2019 — 21st

2020 — 5th

2021 — 2nd

2020 Record: 7-1

For a second straight season, Ohio State breezed through the Big Ten and posted an undefeated regular-season record. The Buckeyes beat Nebraska (52-17), Penn State (38-25), Rutgers (49-27), Indiana (42-35) and Michigan State (52-12). The annual Michigan-Ohio State rivalry game traditionally played at the end of the season was canceled due to COVID-19 concerns, marking the first time the two rivals didn't play since the 1917 season. That was one of three canceled games for the Buckeyes.

Despite the Big Ten ruling that a team would have to play six or more games to qualify for the Big Ten Championship Game, the league changed its rule in favor of the Buckeyes, who represented the East Division and beat West Division champ Northwestern in Indianapolis, 22-10.

Ultimately, the College Football Playoff committee felt the Buckeyes did enough to earn a berth into the playoff, where they beat Clemson (49-28) in the semifinal. OSU then was blown out by Alabama in the title game in Miami.

Did You Know?

• Michigan leads the all-time series with Ohio State, 58-51-6, but hasn't beaten the Buckeyes since 2011. That win is the only one for Michigan in the rivalry since 2003.

• Ohio State has made the College Football Playoff in each of Day's two seasons on the job. Formerly the program's offensive coordinator, Day took over for former head coach Urban Meyer, who resigned amid controversy, following the 2018 season.

• The Buckeyes have scored 62 and 56 points against Michigan the last two meetings, respectively.

2021 Preview

Day is entering year three after enjoying an immense amount of success in his first two seasons on the job, taking over for Meyer and having an extremely strong foundation to build off of.

The top storyline of the offseason in Columbus surrounds the quarterback position. There are three signal-callers in the room — second-year freshmen C.J. Stroud and Jack Miller, and freshman Kyle McCord — who were highly ranked out of high school and have the opportunity to compete for the starting job now that former Georgia transfer Justin Fields, who threw for 5,373 yards and 63 touchdowns in 22 games over the last two years, is off to the NFL as a likely first-round draft choice.

There is concern about how the eventual starter will play, but it's minimal, given the talent in the room and the fact that Fields turned out to be better than expected in the Buckeye system and under Day's tutelage. Stroud appears to be the favorite after taking the majority of the first-team reps in the spring.

Whoever winds up being the starter will have some dangerous weapons to work with, including a duo of productive wideouts in junior Chris Olave (third team) and sophomore Garrett Wilson. The tandem is arguably composed of the top two players on the team, with Olave having posted 729 yards and seven scores and Wilson having accumulated 723 yards and six touchdowns in 2020. Those two were the team's leading receivers, and the Buckeyes also return the man who checked in third — junior tight end Jeremy Ruckert (151 yards and five scores).

Junior running back Master Teague III was second on the team in rushing yards last season — behind only Trey Sermon (897 yards) — with 540, but he was the go-to ball carrier to punch it into the end zone, leading the team, which was the eight-best rushing offense in the country, with eight rushing scampers.

The Buckeyes return three starters along the offensive line, headlined by junior left tackle Thayer Munford, who has played in 46 career games and is a three-time All-Big Ten standout (first team in 2020).

Ohio State ranked first nationally in total defense in 2019, only to see itself drop to No. 59 in the country last season. The Buckeyes lost three of their starting players in the secondary to the NFL — including No. 3 overall pick Jeff Okudah — making it tough to replicate what they did the year prior.

The back end of the defense struggled mightily giving up 304 yards per game, which ranked 122nd (out of 127 teams) in the land. Shoring that up will be an emphasis for Day and defensive coordinator Kerry Coombs heading into the 2021 campaign. The secondary is highlighted by junior corner Sevyn Banks, who was inconsistent last season but notched seven pass breakups and one interception.

While there is heightened concern about the corners and safeties, the Buckeye front seven should be strong, despite losing key pieces in linebackers Tuf Borland and Pete Werner, with the strength this season likely to be at the line of scrimmage. The Buckeyes were seventh nationally in rushing defense last season, yielding just 97.6 yards per game on the ground.

The defensive line will be anchored by fifth-year senior tackle Haskell Garrett, who notched 20 tackles, four stops for loss and two sacks last season. He will have two bookend edge defenders — junior Zach Harrison and junior Tyreke Smith — outside of him. Harrison made 4.5 tackles for loss and two sacks last season, while Smith posted one of each.

Why No. 1 In The Countdown?

This one is pretty self-explanatory. Ohio State will be the toughest game on the schedule of any team that has the Buckeyes on their regular-season schedule. The Scarlet and Gray are once again the Big Ten title favorites and a national championship contender.

While this game is at home, that hasn't meant a ton for Michigan over the last several years. And coming off a 2-4 season and with much to prove in 2021, the Wolverines are going to have to prove a lot in the first 11 games to convince many that this will be a competitive contest, especially considering the way the last two have gone.

No. 12: Northern Illinois

No. 11: Western Michigan

No. 10: Rutgers

No. 9: Maryland

No. 8: Michigan State

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