ONE BITTER RIVALRY GAME
NOV. 27 AT MICHIGAN
There’s always bad blood when Ohio State and Michigan play each other in The Game, but there’s little doubt that these two teams will be hungrier than ever for a win against each other in 2021 after they didn’t get the opportunity to play in 2020.
Ohio State, deprived of the opportunity to “hang 100 on them” last season when Michigan decided it could not play due to COVID-19 cases within its program, was as confident as ever going into last year’s game against the Wolverines and will likely carry that confidence over into 2021. Michigan’s players didn’t like hearing Ohio State fans accuse them of ducking the Buckeyes last season, so they’ll surely feel like they have a point to prove in the Big House this November.
The Buckeyes have no reason to be afraid of the team up north right now, given that they’ve won eight straight games against the Wolverines. Jim Harbaugh still hasn’t won a single game against Ohio State as Michigan’s coach, and the talent gap between the two teams has only gotten wider since they last played in 2019. Still, there's always something special about the annual war between the Buckeyes and the Wolverines, and last year's cancellation was a reminder not to take the storied tradition for granted.
No matter what happens the rest of the season, there’s little doubt this will be one of the most anticipated chapters of The Game in a long time. Both teams and their fan bases will have had to wait two full years for another edition of The Game by the time Nov. 27 rolls around, and the Buckeyes will be champing at the bit for a one-year-overdue opportunity to get a ninth straight win over Michigan and a fresh pair of Gold Pants.