Big Ten will be decided by Ohio State-Michigan in 2019
The Ohio State football team and Michigan Wolverines are set to meet Thanksgiving weekend in what will likely be the biggest game of the CFB season.
Tradition is something that makes anything a bit more special. College football is filled with it — especially when you’re more specifically talking about the greatest rivalry in all of sport, Ohio State vs. Michigan.
In the days of old, The Game would often be the deciding factor for the Big Ten and Rose Bowl. It happened so often it became a part of the rivalry.
The Game is filled with emotion, methodology, pageantry and is the matchup everyone waits for all year long. Records are irrelevant, emotions run high and the ultimate bragging rights are at stake.
In recent years, two of the most memorable heavyweight fights between the two schools were 2006 when the stars were aligned for The Game of the Century and in 2016 when the Buckeyes and Wolverines met as No. 2 and No. 3.
Urban Meyer’s Buckeyes were undefeated against “That Team Up North,” but a new Day has come for Ohio State football. The question is can the dominance continue under the leadership of Ryan Day?
Michigan’s Jim Harbaugh will be desperately looking for his first win in the rivalry as a head coach, and on paper what better year to do it. The Game is at home in Ann Arbor, Ohio State plays Penn State the week before, the Buckeyes have a first year head coach and have to replace marquee starters on the offensive end.
Don Brown’s defense will be hungry with a bitter taste in their mouths from last year’s 62 point debacle. Ohio State’s speed gave Michigan’s back seven fits and the defensive line could not get to Haskins.
Michigan will boast a new-look modernized offense under new coordinator Josh Gattis. His goal will be to spread the field more and utilize the full potential of star quarterback Shea Patterson.
Patterson will need to find a true No. 1 receiver and will also need a running game which will likely be the biggest hurdle for the Wolverines this year as Chris Evans will miss the entire 2019 season.
However, the Wolverines are already favored in every game this season and are a very popular playoff selection. The Buckeyes on the other hand are being overlooked unless you’re in Columbus. Many are also taking a “wait and see” approach.
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Replacing Urban Meyer and Dwayne Haskins with Ryan Day and Justin Fields will be no easy task, but those guys are certainly excellent fits to keep the train moving full speed ahead.
Ohio State is also favored in every game…except for one — The Game. For the second year in a row the Buckeyes will be underdogs on Rivalry Weekend. But like I said before, none of that matters — it’s a battle of wills, intelligence, preparation, execution and who wants it the most.
Regardless of all of the statistics and pregame information, The Game will have massive conference and national playoff semifinal ramifications. The winner of the Big Ten East and likely the conference will be decided in Ann Arbor this November.
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Just like the days of old, the tradition of the Big Ten running through the greatest rivalry in sports is alive and well. History has a way of repeating itself, and if the first century and last 18 years have been any indication the world will be in for a classic come Thanksgiving weekend.