By Danielle Daniels
Ohio State opens Big Ten play under the lights at Spartan Stadium
FIRST AND TEN
- No. 3 Ohio State (3-0) travels to East Lansing, Mich., for its 2024 Big Ten Conference season-opening game against the Michigan State Spartans (3-1; 1-0 Big Ten). The Spartans defeated Maryland, 27-24, in College Station Sept. 7 in its Big Ten opener.
- The game will mark the start of Ohio State’s 112th Big Ten Conference season. Ohio State’s first season of Big Ten play was in 1913.
- Ohio State has the most Big Ten Conference wins with 550; Michigan is second with 546. Ohio State’s .749 conference winning pct. (550-176-24) is also tops in the conference.
- Ohio State’s 39 Big Ten titles rank second, although its 23 outright titles is No. 1 and five Big Ten Conference championship game wins is also No. 1 (2014-17-18-19-20).
- Buckeyes vs. Spartans on the gridiron is happening for a 14th consecutive season. Ohio State has longer consecutive-season playing streaks with only two other teams: Penn State (the teams will meet for a 32nd consecutive season in Nov.) and Indiana (the teams will meet for a 16th consecutive season in Nov.).
- OSU vs. MSU will next meet in 2027 in Columbus.
BY THE NUMBERS
54: Since Ryan Day took over as head coach in 2019, he has coached Ohio State in 64 games and his Buckeyes have been ranked in the national polls as a Top 5-or-higher team in 54 of those games.
59: In the building depth department: a total of 59 players have played in all three games to date, including 29 defensive players and 27 offensive. Additionally, the team has used two different punters and kickers.
7.0: Powered by an offensive line with 103 combined starts and led by Quinshon Judkins (9.3 yards per carry) and TreVeyon Henderson (8.6 ypc), Ohio State is 2nd nationally averaging 7.0 yards per carry.
93-7: Ohio State is 93-7 versus the Big Ten Conference the past 12 years (under Ryan Day and Urban Meyer) with five Big Ten titles. Day’s teams are 39-3 vs. the Big Ten; Meyer’s seven teams were 54-4.
OHIO STATE VS. MICHIGAN STATE
- This Ohio State/Michigan State game will be the 53rd between the two schools with Ohio State holding a 37-15 series lead that includes a 19-5 record in games played at East Lansing.
- The Buckeyes are ranked in the national Top 5 for a sixth consecutive season coming into the Michigan State game.
- Eight of Michigan State’s 15 wins in this series have come over a nationally ranked Ohio State team, including five Spartan wins over a Top 5 Ohio State team.
DAY’S BUCKEYES VS. MICHIGAN STATE
- Ryan Day’s teams are 5-0 vs. Michigan State with some impressive supporting statistics: 253.0 rushing yards per game, 316.8 passing yards and 569.8 total yards while scoring 45.8 points per game.
- The defense has allowed just 52 points in the five games.
- Day’s record vs. Michigan State includes the 2020 COVID-19 year win, although Day missed the game because of the virus. Larry Johnson was interim coach.
- Day is credited with the win as he did not miss the game because of a suspension.
MORE LORE VS. MICHIGAN STATE
- Ohio State has won eight consecutive games in this series.
- A win this year would represent the longest win streak in the series with Ohio State’s current eight-game run tied with the 1975-84 teams’ run.
- Ohio State has won all nine games played in East Lansing this century. Michigan State’s last win at Spartan Stadium: 23-7 in 1999.
- Michigan State’s last win: 17-14 at Ohio Stadium in 2015 … a crushing blow for the Buckeyes (like 1998’s 28-24 crushing blow).
BIG TEN WIN STREAKS
- Ohio State has winning streaks over 13 of the 14 teams it has met in Big Ten play of late.
- The streaks of wins include: Illinois (eight consecutive wins), Indiana (28), Iowa (one), Maryland (10), Michigan State (eight), Minnesota (12), Nebraska (seven), Northwestern (10), Penn State (seven), Purdue (two), Rutgers (10) and Wisconsin (10).
- Michigan (losses in 2021-22-23) is the only win streak outlier.
- Among the new teams in the B1G: Ohio State has wins over Washington and USC in the last games among the teams and losses against Oregon and UCLA.
COURTESY OHIO STATE ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS
