The Buckeyes have lost to the Team Up North four-straight seasons and have to end the losing streak this year.
From now until preseason camp starts in August, Land-Grant Holy Land will be writing articles around a different theme every week. This week is all about this season’s marquee matchups. Whether they feature the Buckeyes, other Big Ten schools, or major teams across the country. You can catch up on all of the Theme Week content here and all of our ”Game of the Year” articles here.
When it comes to the ‘Game of the Year’ each season for the Ohio State football team, the answer will really always be the same:
The Team Up North.
Whenever Ohio State and Michigan get together, nothing else matters for both teams and fanbases than winning “The Game”. It will mean even more for the Ohio State coming into this year after the way things went in 2024.
Not that you need the reminder, but the Buckeyes entered the home contest against the 6-5 Wolverines as three-touchdown favorites, but fell 13-10 despite Michigan passing for just 62 yards and Davis Warren throwing two interceptions.
After that loss, Ohio State head coach Ryan Day came under immense scrutiny from the fanbase. Following the Buckeyes’ run to a national championship, the criticism faded… but that could be temporary.
For a lot of fans, all the good will that Ryan Day built up from winning the national championship would be gone if he loses to Michigan for the fifth-straight season.
From 2004 to 2019, Ohio State went 14-1 against the Wolverines, utterly dominating the rivalry for a decade and a half (technically 13-1 since the Buckeyes vacated all wins in 2010). However, since 2021, Michigan has now won four-straight games against the Buckeyes. Michigan leads the all-time series 62-51-6.
Ohio State rising sophomore wide receiver Jeremiah Smith added some fuel to The Game this year, issuing a promise about the next two years.
“I’m not a sore loser, but I hate losing, and losing to that team up north was pretty crazy,” Smith told Manny Navarro of the Athletic. “In the end, I think it really helped us play the way we did in the playoffs. But I didn’t want to go to Ohio State and lose to that team up north. I just hate them. Just something about them. For the next two years, I promise you, I will not lose to them. I can’t lose to them in the next two years.”
Smith had five catches for 35 yards and the only touchdown against Michigan in last year’s stunning loss.
Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
Now, new quarterback Julian Sayin will be taking over the reigns and asked to head to Ann Arbor to take down the Wolverines. Both the Penn State and Texas games are at home, so this will be the first real volatile road environment he will face, even though it is the final regular season game of the year.
The Game has different stakes now with the expanded College Football Playoff, but it is still the most important game of the season for fans and players.
Ohio State has not played in a Big Ten Championship game since 2020, which was a 22-10 win over Northwestern. If they don’t beat Michigan moving forward, it will almost be impossible to play in Indianapolis.
They can still make the College Football Playoff, but winning a championship after losing the last game of the regular season feels like an abnormality, not something that should be expected every year.