The best college football rivalry has added spice this season. I’m not talking about the Bedlam series; there’s nothing rival about a game where one team has a 91 to 19 advantage over its opponent. It is not the Iron Bowl, although the Auburn/Alabama games have produced some entertaining results. The 2023 Egg Bowl was virtually unwatchable. The best college rivalry is “The Game”, Michigan versus Ohio State. The rivalry continues today as the #2 Buckeyes head to Ann Arbor to take on the #3 Wolverines.
This rivalry has produced epic games throughout its history, none bigger than “The Game of the Century” in 2006 pitting #1 OSU against #2 Michigan. OSU won that one narrowly 42-39. Unlike the lopsided Oklahoma advantage in Bedlam, Michigan edges OSU in the history of this game with a 60 to 51 advantage. If you exclude the 9 Michigan wins from 1901 to 1909 (the forward pass wasn’t even legal until 1906), then you have a dead heat amongst these two bitter foes.
The Game again puts the College Football Playoff and the Big Ten Conference in the balance. OSU and Michigan are tied for first in the Big Ten East Division, and #2 and #3 respectively in the College Football Playoff rankings. The winner has a clearcut path to the Big Ten Title (the winner will play offensively bereft Iowa), and to the CFP. And for the fan bases, bragging rights for another year. After OSU won 15 of the last 17 matchups – the 2010 vacated OSU victory included – Michigan has humbly won the last two.
There is no love lost between Michigan and Ohio State. Die hard fans of either team refuse to say each other’s name. OSU coined the not so clever term “That Team Up North” [TTUN] to refer to Michigan. Wolverines fans don’t have unique references to Ohio State either, instead using the copycat “That Team Down South” [TTDS], or the crass and more un-clever “Suckeyes”. Ohio State likes to arrogantly include ‘the’ before their name. A true Michigan fan omits ‘the’ from any Ohio State reference.
This was already going to be the biggest test yet for either team. Michigan’s games this season have not provided a definitive challenge; their non conference schedule looked a lot like the dessert table at your family Thanksgiving dinner. Ohio State has made its undefeated run without a highlight reel quarterback. Their key wins include common opponent and ‘pretty good’ Penn State, and a nail biting victory over similarly decent Notre Dame. The challenge of this game is elevated another notch for Michigan, who will enter their fifth game of the season without their head coach Jim Harbaugh on the sideline. Harbaugh’s recent suspension is due to a sign stealing scandal that has fueled even more ire between these bitter rivals.
Much has been made of Michigan’s sign stealing efforts. In a nutshell, a covert Connor Stallions attended future opponent’s games, took notes along with video of the plays and calls, then stood on the Michigan sideline providing tutelage for coordinator’s play choices in Wolverines games. This method of game prep is illegal by NCAA rule. Of course, U of M fans view this issue through maize colored glasses. They believe that every team is stealing signs in one way or another, and the Michigan teams have still been victorious with their exceptional play on the field. Undoubtedly, Michigan’s 2023 squad fields a team of top four and five recruits that should be dominant over their opponents without added advantage.
Stallions’ sign stealing gave the Wolverines an advantage that others did not have. The sign stealing gave J.J. McCarthy an advantage with improved play calls thereby giving him an unfair leg up on potentially earning the Heisman Trophy! J.J. McCarthy would not have been this good had he not had the benefit of errrr, well informed play calling from his sideline. The problem – we will never know if Michigan (or McCarthy) would have pulled through so well to this point in 2023 undefeated without the sign stealing.
Connor Stallions will not be on the sideline today, nor will Michigan’s beleaguered coach Jim Harbaugh. Harbaugh has been suspended from the final three games of the season. For context, the NCAA also suspended Harbaugh for the first three games of the season for level I and II NCAA recruiting violations. U of M chose to accept both rounds of Harbaugh suspension because they don’t have a case to deny any of this program’s countless shenanigans. If Michigan were to win The Game, and complete its season undefeated with a CFP title, do they even deserve these titles considering the height of Michigan’s undisputed cheating? Does Michigan’s star quarterback J.J. McCarthy deserve a trip to New York to possibly hear his name called for the Heisman Trophy? This is a big problem.
Ohio State is no patron saint. ‘Tattoogate’ in 2010 had OSU athletes selling their memorabilia for cash and free tattoos. What’s the big deal? Nowadays, Name, Image, and Likeness rules allow this. However at the time, this was considered major ‘extra benefit’ provided to the athletes – an absolute no-no in the eyes of NCAA regulation. The advantage for OSU here was clear – come to OSU and get extra money and tattoos. In 2010, providing this enticement to come to Columbus that other schools could not provide created an unfair recruiting advantage for Ohio State. Ohio State’s entire slate of 12 wins were vacated, along with a three year probation period and a host of other penalties.
Ohio State fans are livid that their Tattoogate earned a bevy of penalties, but to date, Michigan is only penalized with their coach being banned from the sideline for three games. If ‘The Game’ weren’t incentive enough for the Buckeyes team, a soft penalty to the Wolverines for cheating certainly provides more bulletin board material for the Buckeyes.
Ohio State has a major opportunity here to get a leg up on the Big Ten and CFP title opportunities, and more importantly, to solve the problem. Buckeyes coach Ryan Day has been a vocal proponent of the Big Ten and NCAA instilling major sanctions upon U of M for this scandal. Coincidentally, Day is under significant pressure to win The Game after losing twice in a row to the Wolverines. Day and company simply need to win it. The best penalty of all for U of M football would be to lose The Game. An OSU victory would silence the Day naysayers who proclaim that Day cannot win the big one. An OSU win would propel them to the Big Ten Championship Game and a shot at the National Championship.
A Buckeyes win today could put much of the hand wringing about Michigan’s scandal to bed. J.J. McCarthy might be a good kid, but he doesn’t deserve a sniff of the Heisman ceremony. Michigan has a fantastic football tradition, but this year it cheated its way to an 11-0 record. Ohio State needs to solve the problem. The Buckeyes need to win The Game against TTUN, and put this discussion to rest. I for one will be pulling for the Scarlet and Gray to solve the problem.
Paul MacDonald - Sports Broadcaster 