There is a clock inside Ohio State’s practice facility that counts down the days, hours and minutes until the annual clash with rival Michigan.
That clock will hit zero on Saturday, November 28, when the Buckeyes make the 184-mile trip north to Ann Arbor, Michigan. But until that day, Ohio State should be rooting for the hated Wolverines.
It’s a concept that goes against the Buckeyes’ nature, of course. Head coach Urban Meyer himself admitted that Ohio State wants to beat Michigan in every aspect of the game, from battles on the recruiting front to games on the field.
“We do keep score against Michigan in everything we do,” Meyer said last February, according to Ari Wasserman of the Plain Dealer. “And they’re great recruiters, they always have been. The previous staff was great recruiters. That’s gone on for long before us, and will take place long after us. Absolutely you keep score on that one. ”
Since 2002, that score has been remarkably one-sided.
The Buckeyes have only dropped two of their last 13 contests against the Wolverines, and Meyer himself is a perfect 3-0 against That Team Up North. The only victory Michigan has come away with since 2003 came against the shell-shocked Buckeyes in 2011, who had lost their head coach in Jim Tressel the previous spring and suffered through one of the worst seasons in school history.
But Ohio State made a quick turnaround the following year. Under Meyer’s guidance, the…
Continue Reading: Why Ohio State Needs to Root for Michigan to Keep Winning
