The American poet Ralph Waldo Emerson is credited with one of the Western world’s most beloved modern colloquialisms, “It’s not the destination, it’s the journey.”
Emerson would pass in the year 1882. Fifteen years later, Ohio State and Michigan would square off on the gridiron for the very first time — and it feels fitting that the luminary philosopher would not be subjected to watching two American institutions make a mockery of his artful sentiment for the next 125 years — and showing no signs of stopping any time soon.
Tomorrow, for the 119th time, the Wolverines and Buckeyes will march onto the field to play in a matchup that is so synonymous with the college football world that we’ve resolved upon simply calling it The Game. And when they do, it won’t be the words of Emerson held within their hearts, but a chorus from Metallica:
“Nothing Else Matters”
Now I know this is teetering on gratuitous, but it’s quite possible that this year’s game will dwarf all the ones that came before it in terms of significance. And because I feel as though I owe you some brevity, let me lay out the reasons:
- With a Buckeye loss, this could be Ryan Day’s last shot at Michigan (he’s 1-2 in the series).
- With a Wolverine loss, this could be the end of Jim Harbaugh at Michigan — for any number of reasons.
- For the last quarter-century, Ohio State has never lost to Michigan in three consecutive matchups.
And, regardless of who wins, this is the final time that these two teams will vie for the opportunity to secure a spot in the College Football Playoff as it’s presently constructed: with only four teams getting in.
Then there’s the expansion of the Big Ten coming next season – which will see the addition of Oregon, Washington, USC and UCLA.
All this, and finally, the matter of the woolly mammoth in the room — Michigan, for the sixth and final time this season, will be without their head coach on the sidelines. An occurrence that has bookended the Wolverines regular season and spoken to disdain for both Harbaugh and the program not merely from the NCAA, but within the walls of their fellow Big Ten contemporaries in light of the Connor Stallions ‘advanced scouting’ controversy.
Michigan, the villains of college football, have entered their truest ‘us against everybody’ phase yet.
Coming into Saturday’s showdown at the Big House, the Wolverines and Buckeyes are the two best defenses in the nation — bar none. Some will point to the ho-hum strength of schedule for both sides ahead of facing off against each other, but with each program being the only two units in the country giving up less than 10 points per game and both ranking in the Top Three for yards per game allowed, it’s easy to see that these defensive fronts have been a den of nightmares for opposing offenses all season.
Have I mentioned that, until last week’s meeting on the road against Maryland, Michigan hadn’t given up a single point in the 3rd quarter this year?
When two programs of this magnitude are about to come to blows, the big question is always what will win (or lose) the game for each side. For the Wolverines, the areas of concern will be how well the secondary can contain the explosive receivers for the Buckeyes, and making sure that JJ McCarthy doesn’t give up any costly turnovers. Ironically, of the Michigan quarterback’s four interceptions this season — each one came in a game where offensive coordinator Sherrone Moore was serving as head coach — which he will do again tomorrow.
As for Ohio State, their greatest fear is a little more easily summarized: Michigan is the better team in the trenches. And historically, that is how this game has been won. But considering that the last two installments of this rivalry yielded point totals of 69 and 68, respectively, and with neither side resembling the offensive scoring powers they’ve been in those prior seasons — it might be due time for ugly, grueling, ‘meat-grinding’ football to reign over The Game once more.
With the eyes of two of the most prideful fanbases in all of U.S. sports, along with the rest of the nation watching, the only sure thing for the biggest matchup of Rivalry Week is that there has never been a meeting quite like it between these two schools — and I don’t expect that change for a very long time.
No. 3 Michigan hosts No. 2 Ohio State in the final week of the regular season. Kickoff at Noon EST in Ann Arbor.
