ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) — Ryan Day, perhaps more than anyone on the Big House turf, needs to win The Game.
Defending champion and top-rankedOhio State (11-0, 8-0 Big Ten) would not get knocked out of the College Football Playoff if they lose a fifth straight game to 15th-ranked Michigan (9-2, 7-1) on Saturday.
Another loss would, though, would haunt Day for at least another year.
“We’ve been working toward this all year, and we know that the opponent is different,” Day said. “We know what’s at stake.”
Day is 1-4 against the Wolverines and his mark in one of the greatest rivalries in sports has been a blemish on what has been a remarkable career otherwise, winning about 90% of games over the last seven-plus seasons.
His latest setback was simply stunning.
The second-ranked Buckeyes were favored by nearly three touchdowns against the offensively challenged, short-handed, five-loss Wolverines in Sherrone Moore’s debut season last year and lost 13-10 in the Horseshoe.
It wasn’t long ago that Jim Harbaugh couldn’t win The Game. He lost his first five games against the Buckeyes as coach of college football’s winningest team before breaking through in 2021.
“It feels like the beginning,” Harbaugh said back then.
Harbaugh was right because that victory was the start of a four-game winning streak for the Wolverines, whose 2024 national title preceded Ohio State’s resilient run to the last NCAA championship.
Unlike last year, Michigan is playing for more than pride.
If the Wolverines can pull off another upset as double-digit underdogs, according to BetMGM Sportsbook, they have a chance to play in the Big Ten championship game and possibly contend for another national title.
“We win this, we’re in the playoffs,” Michigan tight end Marlin Klein said. “If you win this game, you’ll be remembered in Ann Arbor forever.”
It’s not easy to forget how dominant Ohio State was in the rivalry before Michigan’s recent run.
Day’s win in The Game in 2019 during his debut season extended a school-record winning streak in the series to eight games. Under national championship-winning coaches Jim Tressel from 2001 to 2010 and Urban Meyer from 2012 to 2018, the Buckeyes lost only once on the field to the Wolverines.
Pivotal players
Both programs have first-year starters at quarterback and each will have a chance to start their legacy in The Game.
Ohio State redshirt freshman Julian Sayin leads major college football with a 79.4% completion rate and 185.38 quarterback rating.
Michigan freshman Bryce Underwood, the nation’s top-rated recruit last year, has gained Day’s respect during his uneven season with nine touchdown passes and five interceptions.
“Talent all over the field. Starts on offense with quarterback, he’s a dangerous player,” Day said.
Kicking it
Dominic Zvada made a 21-yard field goal with 45 seconds left to lift Michigan to last year’s win at Ohio State, connected on a school-record 95.5% of his field goals and was a second-team Associated Press All-America kicker last year.
Zvada has struggled this season, making just 12 of 19 field goals and missing half of his six attempts between the 30 and 39, including one last week at Maryland.
Even though Michigan led the Terrapins by 29 points midway through the fourth quarter, Zvada’s 46-yard field goal that went through the uprights was regarded as significant.
“It was huge for him to make that kick,” Moore said. “Needed the confidence for him.”
Patricia returns
Ohio State’s top-ranked defense is led by first-year defensive coordinator is Matt Patricia, who was 13-29-1 in two-plus seasons as coach of the Detroit Lions from 2018 to 2020.
“He doesn’t really have the best reputation in the state of Michigan, but he’s done such a great job at Ohio State,” Klein said.
Injury report
Ohio State’s standout and banged-up receivers, Jeremiah Smith and Carnell Tate, were expected to get reps in practice this week to potentially return from injuries.
Michigan will be without starting running back Justice Haynes and safety Rod Moore; expects running back Jordan Marshall, receiver Semaj Morgan to return; and hopes fullback Max Bredeson and Ernest Hausmann can play.
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