From Woody’s rage to Harbaugh’s khakis, The Game is college football’s ultimate rivalry. Explore the blood feud that defines Big Ten football history.
The Game.
From Woody’s headset toss to Harbaugh’s khakis, Ohio State vs. Michigan isn’t just a rivalry — it’s a religion. And heretics aren’t welcome.
There are rivalries. And then there’s The Game.
Not “a game.” Not “the big game.” Just The Game — capitalized, sanctified, etched into the souls of everyone who’s ever lived in Columbus or Ann Arbor. This isn’t about touchdowns or trophies. This is about identity. This is about proving, once and for all, who owns the Big Ten, and the moral high ground of Midwestern football superiority.
It’s scripture in Columbus. It’s blasphemy in Ann Arbor. Coaches get judged by November, families divide like election night, and every play is analyzed like the Zapruder film. From Woody Hayes’s sideline rage to Jim Harbaugh’s khaki-clad intensity, this rivalry isn’t just football. It’s a Rebel’s dream matchup.
The Origins: When The Hate Was Still in Its Infancy
Ohio State and Michigan first played in 1897, and it’s been personal ever since. But the real animosity? That started brewing long before kickoff.
See, Ohio and Michigan have been feuding since the 1830s over a strip of land called the Toledo Strip. Michigan thought it was theirs. Ohio disagreed. The federal government stepped in, gave Toledo to Ohio, and handed Michigan the Upper Peninsula as a consolation prize. Michigan fans are still mad about it.
Fast forward to college football, and that territorial grudge evolved into something far more dangerous: a blood feud with pads and helmets. By the time the rivalry became an annual tradition in 1918, the hatred was already generational. Grandfathers were passing down disdain like family heirlooms.
And it’s only gotten worse. (Or better, depending on your perspective.)
The Coaches: Legends, Villains and Khakis
No rivalry discussion is complete without talking about the coaching titans who shaped it.
Woody Hayes is Ohio State royalty. And scores high on the Rebel Meter. The man in the short-sleeved shirt, screaming on the sidelines, punching opposing players (literally — he once punched a Clemson player in the 1978 Gator Bowl and got fired for it). Woody’s Buckeyes won five national titles and dominated the ’60s and ’70s. He didn’t just coach football. He waged war.
His famous quote? “Because I couldn’t go for three.” (After going for two on a late touchdown instead of kicking an extra point.) That’s the Woody Hayes energy this rivalry demands.
Then there’s Bo Schembechler — Michigan’s answer to Woody and the man who made the rivalry a true heavyweight fight. Bo and Woody were friends. They respected each other. But when they faced off, it got real personal. The Ten-Year War (1969-1978) saw Ohio State and Michigan trade blows like Ali vs. Frazier. Every game mattered. Every play was dissected. Every win felt like destiny.
Fast forward to the modern era, and you’ve got Jim Harbaugh — the khaki-wearing, milk-chugging, intensity-personified coach who finally broke Michigan’s drought against Ohio State. Harbaugh’s Wolverines went 0-5 against the Buckeyes before finally winning in 2021. When Michigan won, Ann Arbor erupted. Harbaugh didn’t just beat Ohio State. He exorcised demons.
And Buckeye fans? They’re still mad about it.
The Players: Heroes, Villains, and Heisman Moments
This rivalry has produced legends. Heisman winners. NFL Hall of Famers. And presumably a lot of people crying in the shower.
Archie Griffin (Ohio State) is the only two-time Heisman winner in college football history. He ran over Michigan. He ran through Michigan. He made the Buckeyes unstoppable in the mid-’70s.
Desmond Howard (Michigan) won the Heisman in 1991 and punctuated it with his iconic Heisman pose in the end zone at Ohio State. It’s one of the most disrespectful, legendary moments in rivalry history. Buckeye fans still haven’t forgiven him.
Troy Smith (Ohio State) won the Heisman in 2006 after carving up Michigan in one of the greatest regular-season games ever played. #1 Ohio State vs. #2 Michigan. The Game of the Century (until the next one). Smith’s performance was surgical, and Buckeye fans still talk about it like it was yesterday.Charles Woodson (Michigan) was a two-way player who could do it all. He beat out Peyton Manning for the Heisman in 1997 and led Michigan to a national championship. Ohio State fans will tell you he didn’t deserve it. Michigan fans will tell them to cry harder.
The Games That Broke the Internet (Before the Internet Existed)
Let’s talk about the games that still get argued about in sports bars across the Midwest.
1969: The Ten-Year War Begins
Bo Schembechler’s first season at Michigan. Woody Hayes was expecting a blowout. Instead, Michigan upset #1 Ohio State 24-12 in Ann Arbor. The Buckeyes were undefeated. Michigan wasn’t supposed to win. But they did. And thus began a decade of all-out war.
2006: The Game of the Century
#1 Ohio State vs. #2 Michigan. Both undefeated. Both loaded with NFL talent. Troy Smith threw for four touchdowns, and Ohio State won 42-39 in one of the greatest regular-season games ever played. Michigan fans still argue that going for it on 4th down late in the game was the right call. Ohio State fans still say it was beautiful.
2016: The Double Overtime Classic
Ohio State trailed Michigan late in the 4th quarter. It looked like the upset was happening. Then J.T. Barrett happened. Curtis Samuel happened. Ohio State won 30-27 in double overtime, and Michigan fans were left wondering what could’ve been. Again.
2021: Harbaugh Finally Wins
After five straight losses to Ohio State, Jim Harbaugh’s Wolverines dominated the Buckeyes 42-27 in Ann Arbor. Michigan fans stormed the field. Ohio State fans stormed Twitter. The rivalry was back. And it felt good.
The Trash Talk: An Art Form
If you want to understand this rivalry, all you need to do is hear the trash talk.
Ohio State fans will remind you that they’ve won more games. That they’ve sent more players to the NFL. That Columbus is a real city and Ann Arbor is just a college town with delusions of grandeur. They’ll tell you that Michigan is “That State Up North” and that saying their name is bad luck.
Michigan fans will counter that Ann Arbor is an academic utopia, that Ohio State fans peaked in high school and that Columbus smells like sadness and desperation. They’ll remind you that “Ohio State” isn’t even the school’s real name (it’s “The Ohio State University,” which Michigan fans find hilarious).
Why This Rivalry Still Matters
In an era of super conferences and playoff expansion, some people wonder if regional rivalries still have the same bite. Yes. Absolutely. Always.
Because Ohio State vs. Michigan isn’t about playoff seeding. It’s about proving you’re better than the people who live 200 miles away and somehow think they’re superior. It’s about Thanksgiving dinners that get awkward real quick before the gravy hits the table. It’s about the group chat that goes silent for weeks after a loss.
This is the game where legacies are made. Where Heisman campaigns are born. Where every tackle, every interception, every fourth-down call gets dissected for the next 365 days and decades to come.
And when the final whistle blows, someone’s walking away a hero. Someone else is walking away heartbroken. And both sides will be back next year, ready to do it all over again.
They don’t call it “The Game” for nothing.
It’s scripture in Columbus and blasphemy in Ann Arbor. Coaches get judged by November, and families divide like election night.
So whether you’re a Buckeye ready to defend the Shoe or a Wolverine ready to storm Ann Arbor, know this: Lucky Rebel Club is here to make sure every November, this rivalry gets the respect, it deserves.
Because rivalry never felt so good.
