The Last Great War: Undefeated Ohio State, Michigan meet before The Game changes in 2024

What separates The Game between Ohio State and Michigan from every other college football rivalry? 

Jon Jansen provides a specific example. He started 50 games at right tackle for Michigan from 1995-98. He played 141 more games through a 12-year NFL career. Yet one game stands out above the rest. The mud, muck and memories from a Nov. 22, 1997, matchup against the Buckeyes still resonates for one visceral reason. 

"That was the most physical game – the most violent game, especially up front – that I have ever played in," Jansen told Sporting News. "I think most people that follow Michigan or follow Ohio State – that's the one they point to as the most violent." 

No. 1 Michigan beat No. 4 Ohio State 20-14, and the Wolverines went on to win a share of a national championship in the final season before the Bowl Championship Series changed the way we view the national championship race. If those who follow the rivalry point to that game, then what will say about this year's game in 25 years? 

No. 2 Ohio State meets No. 3 Michigan at Michigan Stadium on Saturday. The Buckeyes and Wolverines have matching 11-0 records for the second straight season, and the potential spoils are the Big Ten championship, a College Football Playoff berth and a shot at the national title. 

Like 1997, Ohio State is trying to avoid a three-game losing streak in the rivalry. The difference? Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh's three-game suspension stemming from an in-person scouting and sign-stealing scandal has added layers of animosity and unrest not seen since the aftermath of the legendary 10-10 tie on Nov. 24, 1973. 

Jansen, now an analyst for the Michigan Radio Network, will have a press-box seat. This is the most-anticipated game, maybe ever, in the history of the rivalry.   

"It's about the only place in the world where it's OK to say there is some hate for three-and-a-half-hours," Jansen said. "That's going to be the way it is. That's what makes it so much fun. They will probably set a record in terms of how many people are viewing this game." 

Ohio State vs. Michigan has always been that way. Yet where The Game is headed suggests this year could be the last of its kind – The Last Great War between the Buckeyes and Wolverines before the new college football world order takes hold. 

The Ohio State-Michigan lore relies on war-time analogies that are otherwise frowned upon. The link is former Ohio State coach Woody Hayes – who served in World War II before taking his first head-coaching job. Hayes was hired at Ohio State in 1951 – one year after the "Snow Bowl." That's the matchup between the Buckeyes and Wolverines that was played in a blizzard and featured 45 punts.

Bo Schembechler, a former assistant under Hayes at Ohio State, took the Michigan job in 1969. Those coaches launched The Ten-Year War – and Urban Meyer was among those who watched intently in the 1970s. That period produced seven top-10 showdowns.

"That's when I fell in love with the rivalry," Meyer told SN. "I always remember it because I was a big Bo Schembechler and Woody Hayes fan growing up. So was my father. We would never miss it. The entire state of Ohio would shut down. The rivalry was real and nasty and it was almost surreal when I was part of it." 

Meyer led Ohio State to a 7-0 record against Michigan as head coach from 2012-18. He is part of the "Big Noon Kickoff" show on Fox, and the combination of Big Ten dominance by both teams and off-field drama has contributed to making this year's game arguably the closest thing to The Ten-Year War. 

Michigan (9.0 ppg.) and Ohio State (9.7 ppg.) are the only teams in the FBS that allow less than 10 points per game. The Buckeyes have a Heisman Trophy contender in Marvin Harrison Jr., and Ohio State coach Ryan Day is looking to avoid the first three-game losing streak to the Wolverines since 1995-97. Michigan has a veteran team around J.J. McCarthy and Blake Corum, and acting coach Sherrone Moore is on the spot given Harbaugh's absence. 

MORE: Ryan Day under pressure to end Michigan losing streak

"I just think it is the storyline," Meyer said. "There's a reason why Big Noon (went) to Maryland. This storyline in Ann Arbor. It's just unprecedented that a coach has been suspended twice. It's a storyline in my time that I've never seen.'" 

According to Sports Media Watch, four college football games have drawn a Nielsen rating of 5.0 or more in 2023. Three of those games involved Ohio State or Michigan. The other, of course, was the matchup between Colorado and Oregon on Sept. 23. 

The Game should smash those ratings knowing the Wolverines' 45-23 victory last season drew 17 million viewers and a 8.05 Nielsen rating. A total of 20 million viewers is on the table. 

Those who have played or coached in those high-stakes games can truly understand the feeling that comes when that many people are watching. 

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If the rivalry has lacked anything since 1997, it's close games. 

Only nine of the last 25 meetings have been decided by seven points or less. Yet when those tight games materialize, The Game takes on a spiritual form. 

Ben Hartsock was a tight end at Ohio State from 2000-03 and part of the turnaround in the rivalry. Michigan dominated with a 10-2-1 record against John Cooper from 1988-2000. Jim Tressel's famous speech preceded the next matchup, which the Buckeyes won 26-20 at Michigan Stadium on Nov. 24, 2001. 

"What always stood out to me was the focus. I almost felt – I don't know how to describe it – maybe like a psychedelic type of spiritual experience. All of my senses were as high as they could possibly be. It was like a fight-or-flight mode of absolute focus." -- Former Michigan tight end Jake Butt

Hartsock, now an analyst for Sirius XM, recalled the feeling of opening up a block for Jonathan Wells' 46-yard touchdown run. Hartsock also was on the field when the Buckeyes won 14-9 on Nov. 23, 2002, which set up the BCS championship game victory against No. 1 Miami. Still, those matchups against Michigan were more intense than any other game. 

"More than any NFL game, playoff game, AFC championship, everything – that game was the one where you could feel the weight," Hartsock told SN. "Maybe it's because I'm an Ohio kid and in my era it was still mostly Ohio kids playing for Ohio State and Michigan kids playing for Michigan. You could feel the weight in the guy you were battling against. It's so ethereal it's hard to place."

The Buckeyes won 42-39 in the No. 1 vs. No. 2 matchup on Nov. 18, 2006, the crown jewel matchup in the rivalry that had an unintended effect through the rest of the BCS era. Michigan lost the season opener to Appalachian State in 2007 and fell into a decade-long tailspin. The Buckeyes won seven of the next eight meetings from 2007-14. 

Harbaugh's arrival was supposed to change that, and the Nov. 26, 2016, matchup with Ohio State is the last one-score matchup in the rivalry. Jake Butt was a star tight end for Michigan in that game. 

"The physicality of it was always really high," Butt told SN. "What always stood out to me was the focus. I almost felt – I don't know how to describe it – maybe like a psychedelic type of spiritual experience. All of my senses were as high as they could possibly be. It was like a fight-or-flight mode of absolute focus. The level of quality football and intensity and focus was unlike anything I've ever been a part of."

Ohio State won 30-27 in double overtime in that matchup, a game where everyone still debates "The Spot" with J.T. Barrett. Meyer still second-guesses his decisions from that game, and the Buckeyes won. It was the best the rivalry had to offer. 

"To answer the question, it was just so hard," Meyer said. "Every inch, every yard was hard in that game. The intensity, including national championship, conference championships, the 2016 Wolverine game goes down as No. 1." 

That kind of game should be in store this time. Will it stay that way with the changes coming to the Big Ten and the advent of the 12-team College Football Playoff era? 

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Michigan and Ohio State combined for the last six Big Ten championships. Since 2021, the schools have a combined record of 47-1 against the rest of the Big Ten, with the lone loss Michigan State's 37-33 victory against the Wolverines on Oct. 30, 2021.

That is great for The Game, but Meyer said 2023 has been one of the worst seasons for the rest of the conference. 

"When I was (at Ohio State) there was a little bit of parity," Meyer said. "Wisconsin had Heisman candidates. When we beat them in 2014, they were top five in the country. They had Michigan State when Mark Dantonio was there. They were playing in Rose Bowls and had first-round draft picks all over the field. Iowa's offense wasn't like it is now. The league is not strong. I don't think it's healthy for the Big Ten, and certainly it's not healthy for those teams."

Is that because Ohio State and Michigan are both at their best? Since The Ten-Year War, the Wolverines and Buckeyes have combined for a total of 49 conference championships, including 23 outright championships. 

"You go back to when it was just 10 teams in the actual Big Ten – it was the Big Two and Little Eight," Jansen said. "I don't know if that is that much different today than it was then. Was it good for the conference then? Most people would say it's good for Michigan and Ohio State, but was it good for the total members? Probably not, but the world is changing." 

The Big Ten version of Manifest Destiny is here. Oregon, UCLA, USC and Washington are joining the Big Ten to make an 18-member league in 2024. The conference is moving away from a divisional format. Will that change the Big Two setup? 

"I don't think the upper tier is going to change much," Meyer said. "Obviously the schedule is going to get harder. You're going to throw USC in the top rung, and then you got Washington, Oregon and Wisconsin. I think Michigan State and Iowa should be there, too. That middle rung just got much harder than it was before."

Another possible change to The Game has been discussed. Knowing with no divisions Ohio State and Michigan could meet in the Big Ten championship game, would there ever be a conversation about moving that matchup away from the regular-season finale? 

"No chance," Meyer said. "Then again, I would have said no chance Texas doesn't play Texas A&M. I thought there was no chance those teams would move out of the Pac-12. As just as a purist of the rivalry game, there is no chance that they will move that game." 

Yet Day allowed that hypothetical conversation to unfurl at Big Ten Media Days on July 27. Hartsock was surprised by that development. 

"He just kind of let it wash over him," Hartsock said. "That to me was a big indicator that nothing is sacred. If he had strong convictions, you better dig your heels in early and not show any sense of being willing to blink off that. I don't think that it's far-fetched at all. If the money makes sense, then it will be decided." 

Butt, now an analyst for the Big Ten Network, also wants The Game to stay in its traditional place. 

"Look at the schedules next year," Butt said. "Where would you hide this game? You wouldn't. If any team in the Big Ten thinks they are going to have a nice favorable schedule, good luck. It is going to be massive brand on massive brand every single week. This game, I associate it with the end of the year. I don't want to see it moved."

There also is the scenario where these teams could meet in the 12-team College Football Playoff. That almost happened in the four-team setup in 2022, but Michigan and Ohio State lost in the College Football Playoff semifinals. 

Will Big Ten championship and playoff rematches become the norm? 

"The assumption that it's going to come down to Ohio State and Michigan playing on the last Saturday of November and then again in the Big Ten title game," Jansen said. "I don't think so. I think this is probably the last time both teams are undefeated. I think it might be the last time we see an undefeated Big Ten champ for the foreseeable future." 

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The future is uncertain, but the end of this chapter is near. 

The Game – this game – has the potential to be one that is talked about as a bridge from 1969 to whatever the future holds  in the 18-team Big Ten, 12-team College Football Playoff era. The Ohio State-Michigan rivalry will see changes with those alterations. 

That is another reason for the increased appetite for Saturday. 

"I just know at Fox they're saying this could be one of the most-watched games ever with everything going on in Ann Arbor and the reality that Ohio State has lost to them two years in a row,"  Meyer said. "Then, the final piece is that this is for probably who is going to get to compete for a national title."

The absence of Harbaugh is a plot twist. Hartsock compared that to when Ohio State coach Earle Bruce was fired the week before the Michigan game. The Buckeyes still won 23-20 on Nov. 21, 1987, which put that game high on the list of signature moments. 

"The Michigan circumstances are just going to take this to a new stratosphere," Hartsock said. "Back when Earle was going to be let go at the end of the season and the Ohio State guys all wore headbands that said 'Earle' on it, the world was so much different. Everybody with social media and eyeballs and the game is so much bigger, it's a similar comparison but it is very, very different as The Game has exploded."

The fallout for the loser will be more costly, too. What if the Buckeyes lose three in a row? What happens to Michigan with the looming NCAA investigation? Is it "Ohio against the World?" or "Michigan vs. Everybody?" That all adds more than usual to The Game. Who is "America's Team?"

"Outside of Schembechler Hall, nobody wants to talk about a victim and definitely not the victim being Michigan," Jansen said. "Inside that building I've always said coaches are the best at framing the situation to benefit their team. When Jim Harbaugh talks about Michigan vs. everyone or that they're 'America's Team,' outside of that building, I don't know many people would agree with those statements."

Butt is trying to add some levity into that with a friendly competition with former Ohio State linebacker Joshua Perry to raise money for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Ohio and Southeastern Michigan. Changes are coming. 

Will this really be The Last Great War between the Wolverines and Buckeyes? 

"I think it's the last one like it for other reasons – because of all the drama outside – but make no mistake about it, this will always be about Michigan and Ohio State," Butt said. "Their fans will argue about which one leads the conversation. This is the standard in college football, and there is nothing that will ever change that. I can't foresee any reason why these programs would not continue to define the word excellence in college football for many years to come."