To college football fans all over the nation, it's not just a game, it's The Game. This is a college football rivalry with so much tradition and intensity that fans don't even need to say the names of the teams involved. Simply uttering the words "The Game" lets everyone know the No. 2 Michigan Wolverines and No. 3 Ohio State Buckeyes are about to clash on the final weekend of the regular season.
Few rivalries in this sport can match the intensity and stakes of this annual meeting. These programs have dominated the Big Ten for most of its existence, and the 2023 season has proven no different. Everything is on the line Saturday when these teams square off inside Michigan Stadium.
The winner clinches a spot in the Big Ten Championship Game as the East division winner. But perhaps more importantly, the victor earns bragging rights for the next year. Adding another layer to it all, while the fanbases have always carries animosity for one another, there's usually been a begrudging respect between the coaching staffs over the years. That doesn't seem to be the case between Jim Harbaugh and Ryan Day, who have gone back and forth at one another through the media over the years.
You're told to throw out the record books for most rivalries. In this one, however, the two teams prefer to throw the record books (and other heavy objects) at each other.
Check out LIVE updates from Michigan vs. Ohio State.
How to watch Michigan vs. Ohio State live
Date: Saturday, Nov. 25 | Time: Noon ET
Location: Michigan Stadium -- Ann Arbor, Michigan
TV: Fox | Live stream: Fubo (Try for free)
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Michigan vs. Ohio State: Need to know
Second straight meeting between these teams as unbeatens: Both teams enter the game at 11-0, as they did last season. Also, just as last season, there are Big Ten and College Football Playoff implications. Last season, the Buckeyes made the CFP field despite a loss in this game, but I don't know if either can count on that being the case this year. After all, there weren't five undefeated Power Five teams remaining at this point last year, nor were there possible one-loss conference champions like Alabama and Texas looming. Needless to say, there is a lot on the line Saturday.
Ohio State is yet to allow more than 17 points in a game: The last few years have seen the Buckeyes send numerous quarterbacks and receivers to the NFL thanks to a high-powered offense that scored more than 40 points per game. That's not the case this year. Ohio State has scored more than 40 points in only two games this season (vs. Western Kentucky and at Purdue). Instead of outscoring teams, this year's squad has preferred keeping opponents from scoring at all. The 17 points Maryland managed in a 37-17 loss back in October are the most anybody has scored on the Buckeyes. This defense has held seven of its 11 opponents to 10 points or fewer, and has only allowed six points total the last two weeks.
Michigan has won 23 straight against Big Ten opponents: It has been a long time since Michigan has lost a conference game. It last happened during the 2021 season, but that wasn't a loss to Ohio State. It came against Michigan State. The Wolverines' current 23-game win streak, which includes Big Ten title games, is the second-longest in the conference's history, trailing only the 29-game win streak Ohio State had that ended in 2021 when it lost to ... you guessed it, Michigan.
Michigan vs. Ohio State prediction, picks
Odds via SportsLine consensus
I truly have no idea how this game will go. Either team can win and by any possible score. No matter how it plays out, the most likely outcome is a close game that comes down to the final quarter. It may even come down to a late field goal to win it, so the smartest play seems to be taking the points. Pick: Ohio State +3.5
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