The Ohio State Buckeyes and the Michigan Wolverines is one of the most intense college football rivalries in the nation. It is always played on the Saturday after Thanksgiving, and it always played at NOON ET. It is usually the last regular season game for both of these programs. This game has meant a lot over the years.
At the moment, the college football playoffs are at 12 teams. There are major questions about if the playoff field is going to expand to 24 teams in the future. If that’s the case, there are many college football fans who think that the Ohio State and Michigan rivalry would lose its juice.
Austin Meek and Cameron Teague Robinson of the Athletic were answering questions from fans about all things related to the Buckeyes and Wolverines rivalry. One fan named Chris K. asked, “Is Duke–North Carolina the best model for what Michigan–Ohio State becomes in the expanded Playoff era? The rivalry would still be enormous, but losing The Game might no longer end a season, and rematches could become common. Does that ultimately strengthen the rivalry by creating more chapters, or weaken it by reducing the all-or-nothing stakes that have defined it for so long?”
This was a very interesting question asked by him. Meek would respond by saying,
“Let’s bring this closer to home. When Michigan and Michigan State played on the final Sunday of the men’s basketball regular season, the Wolverines had clinched the Big Ten championship outright, and both teams were in position for high seeds in the NCAA Tournament. Did the game still matter? You bet it did.
That’s the optimistic view of what the Michigan-Ohio State football rivalry might become if a 24-team College Football Playoff happens. Granted, college football and college basketball are very different sports. Basketball lends itself to short bursts of intensity, whereas football is more like a long, slow ground campaign. Great basketball teams can dial up the intensity to nine or 10, take a day or two to recover, and then do it again. The Michigan-Ohio State football rivalry demands a level of intensity that’s only justifiable if The Game counts for everything.
I fully expected fans to disagree with my take that Michigan and Ohio State should move The Game to midseason if the CFP expands. If you want to read that column as an argument against a 24-team CFP, go right ahead. When I wrote it, I was thinking about the two Michigan-Michigan State basketball games last season. They both mattered, but the game in late January felt bigger to me, mainly because both teams had more up for grabs. I wonder if a 24-team CFP would create a similar dynamic in football.”
“Let’s bring this closer to home. When Michigan and Michigan State played on the final Sunday of the men’s basketball regular season, the Wolverines had clinched the Big Ten championship outright, and both teams were in position for high seeds in the NCAA Tournament. Did the game still matter? You bet it did.
That’s the optimistic view of what the Michigan-Ohio State football rivalry might become if a 24-team College Football Playoff happens. Granted, college football and college basketball are very different sports. Basketball lends itself to short bursts of intensity, whereas football is more like a long, slow ground campaign. Great basketball teams can dial up the intensity to nine or 10, take a day or two to recover, and then do it again. The Michigan-Ohio State football rivalry demands a level of intensity that’s only justifiable if The Game counts for everything.
I fully expected fans to disagree with my take that Michigan and Ohio State should move The Game to midseason if the CFP expands. If you want to read that column as an argument against a 24-team CFP, go right ahead. When I wrote it, I was thinking about the two Michigan-Michigan State basketball games last season. They both mattered, but the game in late January felt bigger to me, mainly because both teams had more up for grabs. I wonder if a 24-team CFP would create a similar dynamic in football.”
Michigan and Ohio State was also going to mean something in the last game of the regular season. The Wolverines were not going to make the playoffs last season but wanted to do everything to keep its winning streak going against the Buckeyes. It didn’t happen and Ohio State dominated Michigan on the road. The game will return to Columbus, Ohio for the 2026 college football season. There is always tension in this rivalry no matter how bad or good these teams are.
Follow me on Twitter at @glennkaplan13 more great content. To read more of our articles and keep up to date on the latest in college and professional football, “Demands a Level of Intensity”: College!
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