KICKOFF
There’s an old adage that you shouldn’t kick a man while he’s down. That’s probably a good moral principle, but there’s another adage I can think of that contradicts that: history is written by the victors. All this posturing to say: Ohio State has not beaten Michigan since 2019. The crimson and gray blue bloods, who essentially ran the nation under now-disgraced supervillain Urban Meyer, have not won a Big 10 title since 2020. What happened? To dive into this, we’ll look at a few numbers that encapsulate the decline and fall of the Buckeye Empire.
100
In 2020, Ohio State head coach Ryan Day made a bold claim. In a team meeting, Day said that his team would “hang a 100 on them [Michigan].” Given the paltry state of Michigan football in 2020, he probably felt confident that his comments wouldn’t be far from the truth. Well, the two teams didn’t meet in 2020, but they have met every year since. In those three meetings, Ohio State has lost all three and only put up a combined 74 points. Woof. Maybe they’ll get over the mark next year?
6+
Since the 2020 draft, Ohio State has only produced 5 draft picks, along with an essentially guaranteed one this year. These players did not win a national championship, and some of them never got to beat Michigan. Still, some are impressive. Let’s look at some of these names:
Justin Fields: current starting quarterback for the Chicago Bears. He’s struggled, but on some days he looks generational. Got at least one win over Michigan, as did the next two players.
Garrett Wilson: wide receiver for the New York Jets. Despite suffering through one of the worst quarterback situations in the league, Wilson has put up insane numbers through two seasons.
Chris Olave: wide receiver for the New Orleans Saints. Again, despite having a quarterback who prefers drawing penalties to making plays, Olave looks great and got two Michigan wins.
C. J. Stroud: Stroud was a two-time Heisman finalist who never got to beat Michigan or play in a natty. In the NFL, he’s balled out with the Houston Texans (who were the second worst team in the league last year and now have a playoff shot) and is he was named Offensive Rookie of the Year.
Paris Johnson Jr.: Johnson Jr is an Offensive Tackle with the Arizona Cardinals. He doesn’t have much in the way of flashy highlights or numbers yet, but he did go No. 6 in the Draft.
Marvin Harrison Jr.: “Maserati Marv” was a Heisman finalist and widely considered the best wide receiver in college football in the past year. He will probably be drafted, at worst, third overall, and he said his only regrets were never getting a Big 10 championship or beating Michigan. Sorry!
3:
Apparently, the true reason that Michigan keeps rocking OSU is because of our block-M logo. For proof, look no further than the result of the Cotton Bowl: an astounding 14-3 loss to the Mizzou Tigers, whose M logo looks a lot like ours. Here’s what happened: Ryan Day helped run starting quarterback Kyle McCord out of Columbus, putting backup Devin Brown in the driver’s seat. Brown, presumptuously wearing the same number as the very first Cotton Bowl MVP, was quickly injured after a few uninspiring plays, which killed the offense. After grinding down the admittedly great defense over the rest of the game, Mizzou’s formerly D-II running back powered them into the end zone to secure a win. Ohio State scored one early field goal.
VICTORY FORMATION:
Perhaps OSU will turn it all around and re-cement themselves as a powerhouse over the next few years. Perhaps a sinkhole will swallow the Horseshoe and the entire city of Columbus. No matter what the future holds, for now, Ohio State has to take a long look in the mirror and consider their future.