The Ohio State football team’s rivalry with Michigan has been a great one through the years, but there is a generation of UM fans who don’t know winning.
On Saturday, the Ohio State football team won its eighth straight game against the Michigan Wolverines in the greatest rivalry in all of sports. They have also won 15 of the last 16 meetings.
While many Michigan fans remember times of when the Wolverines dominated the rivalry as they still lead the all-time series 58-51-6, there is a generation of UM fans that don’t really know what it is like to beat their rival.
According to the Pew Research Center, Generation Z ranges from anyone who was born in 1997 until the present. The Buckeyes have done a lot of dominating since the birth of those Michigan fans.
Since 1997, Ohio State is 18-5 in The Game. They have also won 12 of those games by more than one possession including a few blowout wins like the 56-27 win on Saturday, the 62-39 win last year, the 42-13 win in 2015, the 37-7 win in 2010, and the 42-7 win in 2008.
For Gen Z Buckeye fans, they have lived the life. They see wins year after year after year after year. For Gen Z Wolverine fans, however, they have seen loss after loss after loss after loss to the Buckeyes.
Could you imagine rooting for a team that just continues to let you down?
The state of the Ohio State football program over the past two decades has been head and shoulders above Michigan’s. They are contending for not only Big Ten Championships every year, but national championships as they have won two and been to four national title games since 2002, at the same time Michigan hasn’t even reached a championship game.
Young millennial and Gen Z Ohio State fans know a lot about success and just another chapter of winning was added on Saturday when the Buckeyes defeated the Wolverines yet again. Young millennial and Gen Z Wolverine fans, however, have endured a lot of losing. For those who are strong enough fans to stick it out – I give you a lot of props.