There is no rivalry more sacred than the Ohio State football vs. Michigan rivalry. It is the best rivalry in sports because it includes generations of fans who hate the other fan base. These two programs have been battling each other for more than 100 years.
The Buckeyes have won the most recent iteration of The Game, taking down the Wolverines 27-9 last November. It is a game that is always played in the final week of the season. The kickoff time is also almost always noon, except for 2006 when it was an epic #1 vs. #2 matchup in the Shoe.
That slot is sacred to both fan bases, especially because the game usually means so much. Most times when these two teams play, there is a Big Ten championship or a College Football Playoff spot on the line. One Michigan writer wants them to change that if CFP expansion occurs.
Michigan writer wants the Ohio State/Michigan game moved to October
Austin Meeks, a Michigan writer for The Athletic, wants the Ohio State Buckeyes to take on the Wolverines in October if the Playoff is expanded to 24 teams. His reasoning? Meeks believes that the stakes of The Game will be higher at that point in the season since more teams will be entering the CFP.
"The goal should be to play The Game when the stakes are highest. For most of the rivalry’s history, that meant playing it on the final Saturday of the regular season. Part of the rivalry’s greatness is watching tension build throughout the season, leading up to the crescendo in late November. If the CFP expands, my prediction is that the crescendo of the regular season will hit earlier. Probably sometime in October, when we’ve seen enough to know who’s good, yet not enough to have the whole CFP bracket figured out," Meeks wrote.
Ohio State should never take on Michigan except for the last regular season game
This might be the worst take ever given about The Game. This is a game that should never be played besides the final weekend of the regular season. Part of the greatness of this game is that both teams have been looking forward to and preparing for it, all season long.
Even if the CFP does get expanded to 24 teams, both programs will still hate each other. Both teams still want bragging rights over each other. TTUN wasn't in the national championship conversation for almost a decade before the cheating scandal broke. The stakes of the game weren't any less at that point in time.
The good news for fans is that athletic directors from both programs are smart enough to never let this happen. They understand what is best for this rivalry and what is best for the fans. If either Ross Bjork or Warde Manuel tried to change anything about when this game is played, it would likely be the last thing they do before they hit the unemployment line. Fans would not have it.
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