ant80
Think less, feel more.
In an ohio state board, how come there isn't a thread for the Michigan game? I thought I'd start things off a bit.
Ohio State vs. Michigan
Texas vs. Oklahoma
Florida vs. Florida State
Auburn vs. Alabama
USC vs Notre Dame
If you ask the fans of each school what the biggest rivalry in college football is, they point to the rivalry their school participates in as the greatest, and the OSU-scUM game the next one (except for OSU and Michigan fans of course). If you ask fans of any school not belonging to the schools with major rivalry, OSU-UM game usually comes first. (Ya, I've had too much time in my hands).
As an OSU fan, I consider OSU-UM rivalry to be the greatest. It started a couple of centuries ago when the state of Ohio had a border dispute that almost turned into an all-out war with the state of Michigan. In fact Ohio prevented Michigan from entering the United States of America for several years until Michigan accepted Ohio's control over the disputed territories.
Of course, at that football had not even been invented. Michigan started playing football a LOT earlier than OSU, and in the first game they played, in 1897, Michigan went up by 34 in the first half, and in the 2nd half, they punted the ball on first down (at that time there were only 3 downs total). That incensed OSU so much that the next game, 3 years later, in 1900, a really really REALLY weak OSU team held Michigan in a scoreless tie. From then on, it became an obsession of OSU to beat michigan. Coaches kept getting fired or being forced to Michigan for the next 50 years for losing to Michigan. Just look at the record.
[URL="http://www.cfbdatawarehouse.com/data/div_ia/bigten/ohio_state/coaching_records.php"]Coaching Records[/URL]
The only exception was John Wilce, who was the first to win 3 straight against Michigan. Even he had 6 straight losses after the 3 wins. Anyone heard of Chic Harley, #47, the first OSU football hero? Harley was the reason why OSU won 3 straight against scUM. OSU just retired his number this year. AJ Hawk will be the last OSU player to wear #47.
In 1950, the snow bowl embittered the rivalry. And it forced another coach, Wes Fesler, to resign, leading up to the greatest coach OSU ever had, Wayne Woodrow Hayes. At this time, OSU was called the "graveyard of coaches". Remember, all this had to do with winning the Michigan game every year.
Woody hated UM with a passion. He wouldn't even gas up in the state of Michigan during one of his recruiting trips when his car was running low on fuel. And there is the 10 year war between Bo and Woody, where it determined the conference championship 9 times out of 10.
More recently, a new tradition has developed in which many fans jump into a freezing mirror lake in the middle of an Ohio November. Blood (donation) battles, and a lot of other stuff are the part of the buildup during the week preceeding The Game. Patients at the Ohio State hospitals are given buckeyes, and the hospital puts up a big banner visible from McCampbell hall. (This year they haven't taken it down.) All this might seem like a medeival witch sacrificial party, but this happens at Ohio State. I am sure scUM fans will give a list of crazy antics they pull as well. I don't know what they are but am very eager to know what they are.
Of course, these are all OFF the football field. All this is what made ESPN vote OSU-scUM game the best rivalry in college football, and until some school surpasses all those antics, on and off the football field, I am sticking with OSU-scUM as the greatest rivalry in college football.
:osu: I vote 34-21 Ohio State.
. Go bucks.
Ohio State vs. Michigan
Texas vs. Oklahoma
Florida vs. Florida State
Auburn vs. Alabama
USC vs Notre Dame
If you ask the fans of each school what the biggest rivalry in college football is, they point to the rivalry their school participates in as the greatest, and the OSU-scUM game the next one (except for OSU and Michigan fans of course). If you ask fans of any school not belonging to the schools with major rivalry, OSU-UM game usually comes first. (Ya, I've had too much time in my hands).
As an OSU fan, I consider OSU-UM rivalry to be the greatest. It started a couple of centuries ago when the state of Ohio had a border dispute that almost turned into an all-out war with the state of Michigan. In fact Ohio prevented Michigan from entering the United States of America for several years until Michigan accepted Ohio's control over the disputed territories.
Of course, at that football had not even been invented. Michigan started playing football a LOT earlier than OSU, and in the first game they played, in 1897, Michigan went up by 34 in the first half, and in the 2nd half, they punted the ball on first down (at that time there were only 3 downs total). That incensed OSU so much that the next game, 3 years later, in 1900, a really really REALLY weak OSU team held Michigan in a scoreless tie. From then on, it became an obsession of OSU to beat michigan. Coaches kept getting fired or being forced to Michigan for the next 50 years for losing to Michigan. Just look at the record.
[URL="http://www.cfbdatawarehouse.com/data/div_ia/bigten/ohio_state/coaching_records.php"]Coaching Records[/URL]
The only exception was John Wilce, who was the first to win 3 straight against Michigan. Even he had 6 straight losses after the 3 wins. Anyone heard of Chic Harley, #47, the first OSU football hero? Harley was the reason why OSU won 3 straight against scUM. OSU just retired his number this year. AJ Hawk will be the last OSU player to wear #47.
In 1950, the snow bowl embittered the rivalry. And it forced another coach, Wes Fesler, to resign, leading up to the greatest coach OSU ever had, Wayne Woodrow Hayes. At this time, OSU was called the "graveyard of coaches". Remember, all this had to do with winning the Michigan game every year.
Woody hated UM with a passion. He wouldn't even gas up in the state of Michigan during one of his recruiting trips when his car was running low on fuel. And there is the 10 year war between Bo and Woody, where it determined the conference championship 9 times out of 10.
More recently, a new tradition has developed in which many fans jump into a freezing mirror lake in the middle of an Ohio November. Blood (donation) battles, and a lot of other stuff are the part of the buildup during the week preceeding The Game. Patients at the Ohio State hospitals are given buckeyes, and the hospital puts up a big banner visible from McCampbell hall. (This year they haven't taken it down.) All this might seem like a medeival witch sacrificial party, but this happens at Ohio State. I am sure scUM fans will give a list of crazy antics they pull as well. I don't know what they are but am very eager to know what they are.
Of course, these are all OFF the football field. All this is what made ESPN vote OSU-scUM game the best rivalry in college football, and until some school surpasses all those antics, on and off the football field, I am sticking with OSU-scUM as the greatest rivalry in college football.
:osu: I vote 34-21 Ohio State.
. Go bucks.
