As we approach Week 13 of the 2023 college football season, we have The Game to look forward to, the contest between Ohio State Buckeyes and Michigan Wolverines, and former Buckeyes head coach Urban Meyer summed up what the game meant to him.
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"It's not a big week. It's not a big month. It's not a big game. It's a way of life."@CoachUrbanMeyer, who led @OhioStateFB for seven seasons, shares what 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘎𝘢𝘮𝘦 means to those around the program. ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/8CzRyEILa6
— Big Ten Football (@B1Gfootball) November 20, 2023
"The rivalry game at Ohio State is the world. It's not a big week. It's not a big month. It's not a big game. It's a way of life," said Meyer, who's now an analyst for Fox Sports.
The Wolverines and Buckeyes have played 118 times. The first game took place Oct. 16, 1897, with the Wolverines winning 34-0 at Regents Field. The most recent meeting took place Nov. 26, 2022, when the Wolverines beat the Buckeyes 45-23 at Ohio Stadium. This next game will happen almost one year to the day, on Nov. 25.
Over all time, the Wolverines lead the series 60-51-6. The Wolverines hold the longest win streak in the rivalry, winning nine straight from 1901 to 1909. The largest victory was also by the Wolverines, who beat the Buckeyes 86-0 in 1902. The Wolverines have won the last two meetings.
During Meyer's tenure from 2012-18, Ohio State won every game. Since 2010, the Wolverines have defeated the Buckeyes only three times — 2011, 2021 and 2022.
These teams have squared off 13 times when they were both ranked in the AP Top 25, and their meeting Saturday will be the 14th. In those matchups, the Buckeyes had seven wins, the Wolverines had five wins, and there was one tie — a 10-10 game in 1973.
Fans on X had some comments about Meyer's remarks.
Urb gets it. LOVE Ryan Day but wonder what could have been with 5-10 more years under Urban.
— PapaVanWinkle (@papavanwinkle) November 21, 2023
"Urb gets it. LOVE Ryan Day but wonder what could have been with 5-10 more years under Urban," one user wrote.
And ever since Day it’s simply another game, major reason Day continually falls up short. Need a tough coach for a rivalry like this. Soft coaches won’t cut it, sorry Day〽️
— Matt Hahn (@MatthewJHahn) November 20, 2023
"And ever since Day it's simply another game, major reason Day continually falls up short," another wrote. "Need a tough coach for a rivalry like this. Soft coaches won't cut it, sorry Day."
The No. 3 Wolverines will host the No. 2 Buckeyes on Saturday at noon ET. Both teams are 11-0, and the winner will head to the Big Ten title game.
