Here we are yet again, the final Saturday in November will feature another Michigan and Ohio State football. In the Big Ten Conference, this is the rivalry to end all rivalries. This year may have the highest stakes of any match-up in recent memory. The Buckeyes and Wolverines claim the top two spots in the Big Ten East division and the winner will presumably play Northwestern in the Big Ten Championship. But perhaps there's much more to this game than a match-up against the Wildcats.
Michigan currently ranks at number 4 in the College Football Playoff rankings. They have not lost since their week 1 defeat at the hands of Notre Dame. The Buckeyes were off course after a road loss to Purdue, but they could still have a chance to clinch the east. The Big Ten missed out on sending a team to the Playoff last year. This year could be the conference's prime opportunity to be back in the spotlight.
Jim Harbaugh has yet to defeat Ohio State during his tenure as head coach at Michigan. In 2015 OSU crushed Michigan at the 'Big House' 43-13. In 2016 Michigan suffered a heartbreaking 30-27 loss in 2 overtimes. And last season Ohio State won 31-20 after they trailed 14-0. A head coach at Michigan can go 11-0 in a season but the only thing that matters is the final Saturday in November and the game against Ohio State. This is Harbaugh's chance to prove Michigan's supremacy in the Big Ten.
The same goes for any Buckeyes head coach. Since Urban Meyer has been the head coach in 2012, Ohio State has won 6 straight games against 'that team up north'. At the beginning of 2018, Meyer and the OSU program faced some controversy. Amid domestic violence allegations against former assistant Zach Smith, Meyer faced a 3-game suspension. His future in Columbus, Ohio was unclear. Now in November he and the Buckeyes can still claim the east division and a Big Ten title.
Both Ohio State and Michigan are ranked in the top 10 in the College Football Playoff rankings. Ohio State has represented the Big Ten in the Playoff twice and won a national championship in 2014. Michigan has never made the Playoff. This year is make or break, not just for this rivalry, but the Big Ten as well. The 2018 game in Columbus could be one of the most significant in the rivalry's history. The winner could win the east, win the Big Ten, and enter the four-team Playoff. In a sport that has been dominated by teams from the south, Alabama, Clemson, Georgia, and more, this could be the chance the Big Ten has waited for. A chance to turn the tables. And once again it all starts on the last Saturday in November.
