By Danielle Daniels

FIRST AND TEN

• Ohio State University, 10-1 overall and 7-1 in the Big Ten Conference, hosts the University of Michigan, 6-5 overall and 4-4 in the Big Ten, in the 120th edition of the greatest rivalry in sports. FOX will broadcast the game nationally. Kickoff is set for 12:14 p.m.
• Michigan leads the all-time series in wins, 61 to 51, and there have been six ties. (Note: Ohio State vacated its 37-7, 2010 victory.).
• Ohio State had won eight consecutive games over Michigan and 16 of 19 games in the first two decades of the 2000s before Michigan stopped the streak in 2021 and has since won three consecutive games.
• These two schools, situated 190 miles apart via Route 23 to Interstate 94, rank first in Big Ten Conference championships: Michigan has 45, Ohio State has 39. Ohio State leads in outright championships: 23-19.
• Ohio State and Michigan have played in the regular season finale every year since 1935 except twice: in 1942 Ohio State defeated Iowa Pre-Flight to cap a 9-1 season that featured the school’s first Associated Press national title, and in 2020 when the game was canceled because of the Covid-19 pandemic.

BY THE NUMBERS
1-2: These two teams rank Nos. 1-2 in the Big Ten Conference in wins – Ohio State has 557; Michigan has 549 – and in winning percentage – Ohio State has a .7506 win percentage while Michigan is at .7099.

12th: This is the 12th consecutive year that Ohio State has entered the game against Michigan with at least 10 wins. The 2024 campaign represents the 31st in which the program has won 10 or more games.

7th: Ohio State is seeking a seventh Big Ten Conference title game appearance at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis and first since the 2020 season. No. 1 Oregon has already clinched one title game berth.

D: Ohio State’s defense is No. 1 nationally in total defense (241.7), scoring defense (10.7) and red zone touchdown pct. (9-25; 36.0 pct.), No.3 vs. the rush (90.0) and No. 4 in fewest passing yards allowed (151.7).

OHIO STATE VS. MICHIGAN LORE

• Ohio State has a 27-28-2 record vs. Michigan in games played in Columbus and a 26-22-2 at Ohio Stadium vs. Michigan.
• When the 2020 game at Ohio Stadium was cancelled because of the Covid-19 pandemic, it stopped a streak of 102 consecutive years – dating to 1918 – that these two rivals had played on the gridiron.
• Michigan snapped its longest losing streak to Ohio State – eight games from 2012-19 – in the 2021 game at Michigan Stadium.
• Michigan snapped an official eight-game losing streak in Ohio Stadium, dating to 2000, with its 45-23 win in 2022.
• Ohio State is 16-6 vs. Michigan in the 2000s.
• Prior to 2000, Michigan had won 13 of the previous 20 games between 1980 and 1999 with one tie.
• Since 1951, Woody Hayes’ first season as Ohio State’s head coach, the Buckeyes lead the series 39-30-2.
• The two teams have played 44 games decided by one score (seven points or less). Ohio State leads in these games, 20-18-6 with its last such win in 2016 (30-27 OT in Columbus). Michigan’s last one score win: last year, 30-24 in Ann Arbor.

2021-22-23 AND 2017-18-19

• Ohio State has been outscored by Michigan in the second half of the last three games by 28-14 in 2021, 28-3 in 2022 and 16-14 last year. Ohio State has also been outrushed by Michigan in all three games by a cumulative 705-314 yards for an average of 235.0 vs. 104.6 yards per game, respectively. And Ohio State has forced just one turnover in the three while Michigan has forced five Buckeye turnovers.
• In the three wins head coach Ryan Day has been a part of: Ohio State has won by 11, 23 and 29 points in 2017, 2018 and 2019, respectively, while scoring 31, 56 and 62 points. Ohio State outrushed Michigan in each of those games, and on average in the three rushed for 220.3 yards per game. Ohio State also forced six Michigan turnovers while committing just two.

BUCKEYES FROM MICHIGAN

• There are three. Graduate transfer LB Joey Valezquez is from Columbus and DeSales H.S., and transferred to Ohio State from the portal from Michigan. He played both baseball (100 games) and football (17) as a Wolverine between 2019-23. He has played in every game this season for Ohio State on special teams.
• True freshman OL Gabe VanSickle is from Coopersville (Mich.) H.S., and walk-on Sr. punter Hadi Jawad is from Dearborn, Mich., by way of Wayne State University.

IT’S A DATE

1999: ESPN.com christened the Ohio State/ Michigan rivalry the greatest of the 20th century. Ali vs. Frazier was No. 2.
1969-78: The 10-Year War era / Woody vs. Bo decade with each team winning five times and nine times an outright Big Ten title was at stake.
1934: Ohio State began awarding players gold pants after wins over Michigan.
1927: Ohio State was Michigan’s opponent for the dedication game of Michigan Stadium.
1922: Michigan was Ohio State’s opponent for the dedication game of Ohio Stadium.
1902: Ohio State’s alma mater “Carmen Ohio” was written on a train ride home following the game in Ann Arbor.

OHIO STATE TODAY

• Ohio State has five consecutive victories since its one-point loss on the road to No. 1 (ever since) Oregon, including two Top 5 wins: 20-13 at No. 3 Penn State and 38-15 Saturday over No. 5 Indiana.
• The starting linebackers – Sonny Styles and Cody Simon – lead the team in tackles with 71 and 65, respectively. Simon has 8.0 TFLs and Styles 6.5, joining Caleb downs with that number.
• DE JT Tuimoloau leads the team in TFLs (11.0) and sacks (6.0).
• SAF Lathan Ransom – 48 tackles, 5.5 TFLs, one INT, PBU, QB hurry and FR plus three FFs – and DE Jack Sawyer – 42 tackles to lead all down linemen plus 4.5 QB sacks, five QB hurries, 2 FFs and 2 FRs – know how to fill a stats line as well.

COURTESY OHIO STATE ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS