MI Football vs Ohio State with a championship on the line

Good football team, No. 12 team in the country.

BIG DAY FOR HARBAUGH: MI coach Jim Harbaugh says when he was younger the day of the Michigan-Ohio State game might have been the biggest day of the year.

On Saturday at MI, the Buckeyes will face another elite defense.

All three of Mike and Hope Boren’s sons have played in the rivalry – Justin started his career at MI and transferred to Ohio State after the 2007 season, Zach played four years at Ohio State from 2009-2012 and Jacoby has played four seasons, the last two as a starter. “There’s a lot of football left to be played”. Part of their legacy rests with how they respond on Saturday.

As the game-winning field goal headed towards the uprights at Ohio Stadium, the MI State Spartans dashed both the Buckeyes’ and the MI Wolverines’ chances of heading to the College Football Playoff.

“Honestly, this is my last game in the Shoe”, Elliott said following the loss to the Spartans.

It was just one loss, and Ohio State does lay claim to the top-ranked recruiting class in 2016, but a follow-up defeat to its on-the-rise rival could prove to be devastating for the Buckeyes. With an experienced offensive line that has been subpar in pass blocking and no consistent deep threat, Ohio State can be throttled if Elliott doesn’t carry the load.

“He’s going to be a great player here at some point”.

“When someone says are you surprised they have very good players up there, not at all”, Meyer said. Add in the question marks about Ohio State’s mindset after being embarrassed on a national stage in a 17-14 loss to MI State, and the danger increases.

Meyer said he regrets not taking a more active role in play-calling as Saturdays game went on, and said he will have more of a role moving forward. It doesnt mean a whole lot to me. “We had our opportunities; didn’t take advantage of it. Talking about an experienced team that was physical, I think the things that jumped out to me and probably to everybody else, we need to be much more physical on the O-line and at tight end”. He tried to go a couple plays and we had to shut him down. “He spoke his mind after the game”, he said. “I really do. I can’t speak for the play-caller”.

“I think getting a win, a big win, is the best way to bounce back and kind of show what this program is about. But I promise you all will get a focused and prepared team this Saturday when we travel to Ann Arbor”.

Ohio State has dominated the series in recent years, winning 10 of the last 11 games.

Michigan’s last win over Ohio State, in 2011. Losing last Saturday was tough for us and disappointing. Other than a weird (that’s the only word to describe what happened) performance against Minnesota and a plain bad showing against IN, things have been going nicely on that side of the ball, even without Mario Ojemudia and Ryan Glasgow.

Michigan’s only win against Ohio State since 2003 was in 2011 against an OSU team that finished 6-7 with a freshman quarterback, an interim coach and lived through a season full of turmoil, suspensions and uncertainty.