Ohio State VS Michigan State College Football Odds November 25, 2023

The Background of Ohio State VS Michigan State

History

Everyone knows that two teams can play against each other without creating a bitter rivalry.

But that’s certainly not the case for Ohio State and Michigan. When we say the word rivalry, we mean a feud that dated back to their very first match on October 16, 1897. 

And you may ask, what started the friction between the teams? To be honest, no one is really certain of the answer to that question. But many like to believe that their rivalry dates back to the Toledo War of 1835, a disdain that left a bad taste and was passed on to the next generations. 

The Buckeyes (Ohio) and Wolverine’s (Michigan) first game certainly was history for football enthusiasts. In this game, the Wolverines won victoriously and began their years-long winning streak against all the teams they were put up against. 

As a response to the Wolverines’ successes, the Buckeyes hired Paul Brown in the 1940s. This single act resulted in the Buckeyes’ first national title and win against the Wolverines.

Ten years later, Michigan won back its control of the field. 

Right about now, you should already know that Ohio wouldn’t just let that happen. And so, they hired Woody Hayes as their new head coach, which led to an additional five national title wins. Not to mention they won against Michigan with a 12-6 final score. 

The two teams made history between the years of 1969 to 1978. In this decade, they were constantly put up against each other through a series of intense close fights. This ended when the Wolverines’ slightly edged over the Buckeyes. 

This was later known to be the “Ten-Year War” which is embedded in Football history. 

Statistics

On November 17, 2006, Ohio’s Buckeyes were ranked No. 1 while Michigan’s Wolverines came second. 

Combined, the two teams have earned 171 All-Americans, 10 Heisman Trophies, 80 Conference championships, and 19 National titles. 

But, there’s no changing that Michigan’s Wolverines still hold the title for the most wins in College Football history. 

Best Games

November 25, 1944

This date symbolizes one of Ohio State’s greatest marks in history. Not only did they win over Michigan, but they also had their very first undefeated season. 

The match ended with the Buckeyes ahead by four points over the Wolverines. This was one of their closest games, and it had a final score of 18-14. 

November 25, 1972

On this day, the Buckeyes have once again proven just how much control they have over the football field. What made this match mark in history was the intense turn out that no one expected.

The Ohio State found themselves 7 points behind Michigan within the first rounds of the game. But their defense did not let them down, instead, it allowed them to not only win back the 7 points but also go another three points ahead of Michigan. 

The game ended with a 14-11 score, in favor of the Ohio Buckeyes.

November 21, 1987 

If you paid attention to our short history recap earlier, you would know that Ohio is known to bring in new people to the team and make a great win right after.

But in this game, it was the exact opposite.

Their coach Earle Bruce was fired a few days just before the said game, but by his request, he still got to coach the game for the last time.

The game started with Michigan heavily ahead, but Ohio paid tribute to their coach by winning the game with a score of 23,20. 

November 24, 2001

This historical date marks the Ohio Buckeye’s 14-year losing streak break. 

After losing to the Wolverines for that many years, they knew they had to step up their game. And that is exactly what they did in 2001 as they won 6 points ahead of Michigan with a score of 26-20.

November 18, 2006

As we mentioned earlier, this year, the two teams were alongside each other in the overall rankings. The Buckeyes were No.1 while the Wolverines were No.2. 

And the Buckeyes proved just how deserving they were of this award by winning a match with a 42-39 ending score. This marked history so strongly that it was later known as the “Game of the Century”.