Imagine Michigan vs. Ohio State is just going to air on television. You are in one of your busiest moments of life and got to know about the game. What would you do? Even for neutrals, it would be hard to resist the kind of thrill-packed moments “The Game” will give. Anyone would leave anything to watch that game on television. This is the kind of influence the rivalry has in college football. In its latest rendition, the Wolverines won 13-10 in Columbus, Ohio, and what ensued was some shocking scenes. Flag-planting, arguments, fights! Drama galore! But will it always be the case?
Well, former Ohio State quarterback Cardale Jones highlighted the issues that have now plagued and engulfed the much-coveted rivalry. “With the new era of college football with the 12-team playoff, to me, the rivalry gets watered down a little bit,” Jones said on The Ultimate College Football Show. “Because at the end of the day, both teams can go into Week 12 being No. 1 and No. 2 in the conference,”.
What Jones is essentially pointing towards is the trend of the depleting significance of the rivalry. This is because even in 2024, Ohio State lost its rivalry game in the regular season against Michigan. But the same team went on to win the national championship, while Michigan didn’t achieve anything. Who had the last laugh? Of course, it’s Ryan Day and Ohio State. This is concerning for people who think that playoffs are fading the significance of rivalry. However, Michigan head coach Sherrone Moore disagrees.
2025 CFP National Championship Presented by AT&T- Ohio State v Notre Dame
ATLANTA, GEORGIA – JANUARY 20: Head coach Ryan Day and the Ohio State Buckeyes hoist the trophy after beating the Notre Dame Fighting Irish 34-23 in the 2025 CFP National Championship at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium on January 20, 2025 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images)
Speaking in a recent interview on ‘Crain and Company,’ he dismissed the rumors of the rivalry fading away. “I think it’s the greatest rivalry in sports. Being a part of this rivalry and seeing other rivalries and watching the impact. It has not only in our fan base on their (Ohio State) fan base but the country too, and that game, you know, it’s called ‘The Game’; there’s no name, there’s no nickname. It’s just called “The Game” for a reason.”.
Sherrone Moore is quite right in his stance since no matter what happens, the rivalry will live on. For context, ‘The Game’ was the second most watched college football game in the 2024 season. It was only behind the Georgia and Texas game with a minuscule margin of 600,000 viewers. 12.3 million viewers tuned in for ‘The Game’ in which Michigan beat Ohio State for the fourth time consecutively. So, yes, the spark is quite alive as of now.
Ohio State’s charm to be stolen by James Franklin’s Penn State?
The recent way-too-early rankings for the 2025 season have put Ohio State in a tough spot. Sure, most pundits have predicted they’ll reach their conference championship. Still, there are some concerns all around the range, from their QB room being unsorted, their having new coordinators on both sides of the ball, and they have some inexperience on several fronts. Paul Myberg of USA Today highlighted the problems.
Myberg, while saying the Buckeyes still have talent and some All-American performers, said. “But they (Ohio State) are down multiple skill players on offense, including quarterback Will Howard, and will need to rebuild the defensive line without several multiple-year standouts. There’s also the fact that Ohio State will have new coordinators on both sides of the ball.” Myberg has pitted James Franklin’s Penn State as the current favorite for the title. His skepticism of Ryan Day’s Ohio State can be said to be true, as OSU does have some problems to sort out in their QB room. The verdict?
Well, if predictions hold out for Myberg, we could see Penn State winning the conference championship after defeating Ohio State. A thriller, of course. But Ohio State still has a lot to offer, as they are still the winning team they were in 2024. The main problem in front of them would be to keep their roster, which would be a huge ask considering the NIL money deals offered left, right, and center by the rival teams. But they’ll have Jeremiah Smith. That’ll count for something, right?
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