The 120th edition of Ohio State vs. Michigan finally kicks off this weekend in Columbus, Ohio. A game that needs no introduction other than “The Game.” Friendships are defined by which side of the Ohio-Michigan border you are born. It is so ingrained in Ohio culture that fans do not call Michigan by its name, but rather “That Team Up North.”
This is the one game that decides whether a season is a success or failure. If you poll 100 Ohio State fans whether they would rather lose to Michigan and win the National Championship or just beat Michigan, 95 of them would choose to just beat Michigan. There’s even a flair on Reddit called, “Okay with 1-11.”
Ohio State vs. Michigan is often the crown jewel of the college football season. This year’s matchup may not have the overall flair recent matchups have had but for this game, the only thing that matters is which team wants it more.
This is war.
By The Numbers: Ohio State vs. Michigan 2024
The Storied History
Two of college football’s bluebloods, Ohio State and Michigan have faced off 119 times. The first matchup was back in 1897 when Michigan won 34-0 over Ohio State in the Buckeyes’ seventh year of existence. The rivalry started 13-0-2 in favor of the Wolverines over the course of 21 years.
The two have faced off yearly since 1919, save for 2020. Both programs have traded periods of dominance. Starting in 1920, Ohio State won three straight, then Michigan won five in a row. The next 10 years were 7-3 Ohio State before Michigan went 10-2-2 from 1938-1951.
Then Woody Hayes happened. After losing his first matchup in 1951, Hayes and Ohio State went 16-7-1. The latter part of this run was just the beginning of the “10-Year War” between Hayes and Bo Schembechler, who took the following three. After that third loss, Hayes was fired after punching a Clemson player in Ohio State’s bowl game.
1979-1984 was 4-2 Ohio State then Michigan dominated until the end of the century. No matter how good the Ohio State teams were in those 16 years, they just struggled to get past Michigan. The Wolverines owned an 11-4-1 mark.
Since 2001, Ohio State has had 15 wins (16 if you count 2010) and five losses. Three of those losses, however, have come in the last three years.
Overall and officially, Michigan owns a 61-51-6 lead. Ohio State’s longest win streak was nine straight from 2012-2019 and Michigan’s was nine straight from 1901-1909.
2024 Common Opponents
With the death of the Big Ten divisions, the Ohio State vs. Michigan matchup could be interesting to look at. In years past, the two shared a division and had at least five common opponents with the occasional West Division mutual crossover. This year, the two only have four mutual opponents: Oregon, Michigan State, Indiana, and Northwestern.
Oregon
- Ohio State lost, 32-31 (away)
- Ohio State: 326 passing yards, two touchdowns; 141 rushing yards, two touchdowns
- Oregon: 341 passing yards, two touchdowns; 155 rushing yards, two touchdowns
- Michigan lost, 38-17 (home)
- Michigan: 165 passing yards, two touchdowns; 105 rushing yards
- Oregon: 294 passing yards, one touchdown; 176 rushing yards, four touchdowns
Indiana
- Ohio State won, 38-15 (home)
- Ohio State: 201 passing yards, two touchdowns; 115 rushing yards, two touchdowns
- Indiana: 68 passing yards; 83 rushing yards, two touchdowns
- Michigan lost, 20-15 (away)
- Michigan: 137 passing yards; 69 rushing yards, and one touchdown
- Indiana: 206 passing yards, two touchdowns; 40 rushing yards
Michigan State
- Ohio State won, 38-7 (away)
- Ohio State: 298 passing yards, three touchdowns; 185 rushing yards, two touchdowns
- Michigan State: 199 passing yards, one touchdown; 47 rushing yards
- Michigan won, 24-17 (home)
- Michigan: 146 passing yards, two touchdowns; 199 rushing yards, one touchdown
- Michigan State: 189 passing yards, one touchdown; 163 rushing yards, one touchdown
Northwestern
- Ohio State won, 31-7 (away)
- Ohio State: 247 passing yards, two touchdowns; 173 rushing yards, two touchdowns
- Northwestern: 201 passing yards; 50 rushing yards, and one touchdown
- Michigan won, 50-6 (home)
- Michigan: 195 passing yards, one touchdown; 201 rushing yards, five touchdowns
- Northwestern: 117 passing yards; 10 rushing yards
Comparing Offenses
Aside from the records of these two teams, perhaps the most jarring difference pitting Ohio State vs. Michigan is how effective (or ineffective) the offenses have been this year.
It has been commonplace in the Ryan Day era for the Buckeyes to have a top-end offense and this year is a tad different. The offense isn’t as high-flying but it’s a bit more efficient. Ohio State boasts the 10th-best scoring offense with 37.8 points per game. Led by Kansas State transfer Will Howard, the Buckeye passing offense has taken a slight step back with 261.1 yards per game (31st in the FBS). Howard does lead the country while completing 74 percent of his passes and leads the Big Ten with 26 touchdowns.
On the ground, Quinshon Judkins and TreVeyon Henderson have led the team to 177.5 yards per game on the ground (48th in the FBS). The pair have combined for 1,489 yards and 14 touchdowns. In total, the offense checks in at 28th in college football with 439.1 yards per game.
Things have been more difficult for Michigan. Its 23.1 points per game is 108th out of 134. Overall, the strength of this offense has been on the ground. Even then, the Wolverines managed 158.6 yards per game led by Kalel Mullings (good for 70th in the country). Mullings has amassed 832 yards and 11 touchdowns to this point with three last week.
The quarterback situation is…rough. Three different quarterbacks have made starts this year, led by Davis Warren. In total, the passing offense is 128th in the country, only ahead of the service academies, 3-8 New Mexico State, 5-6 Louisiana Monroe, and Iowa. Overall, the Michigan offense is 128th out of 134.
Defense Wins the Day
The strength of both of these teams has been on the defensive side of the ball.
Michigan is coming off its most complete defensive dominance of the year. Through 11 games, Michigan has allowed 21.5 points per game, good for 38th in the country. Against Northwestern last week, the Wolverines kept the Wildcats out of the endzone for the first time this year. Led by Mason Graham and Kenneth Grant on the interior defensive line, the Michigan rushing defense has only allowed 94 yards per game on the ground, good for the fourth-best in the country.
The weakness has been in the passing game. Without Rod Moore and Will Johnson, the secondary has taken a step back this year, allowing 222.3 yards per game (73rd in the FBS). In total, the Michigan defense is 23rd in the country with 316.3 total offensive yards allowed per game.
Meanwhile, Ohio State has a case to be the best defense in all of college football. The unit has allowed just 10.7 points per game, good for the best in the country. It makes sense considering the Buckeyes have pitched two shutouts and held opponents to two or fewer touchdowns in every game but one. On four occasions, the defense held the opposing offense out of the endzone altogether.
There have been flashes by individuals but one player is not truly standing above. One could say Caleb Downs but his level of play is just consistently high. Cody Simon has been a fantastic breakout after earning the Block O jersey as well.
In the passing game, the “weakness” of this unit, Ohio State clocks in as the fourth-best with just 151.7 yards allowed per game. On the ground, the Buckeyes boast the third-best defense with just 90 yards allowed per game. Putting it all together, Ohio State had the best total defense with 241.7 yards per game.
