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The scoreboard has tilted one way for four years, but FOX Sports lead college football analyst Joel Klatt says don’t be fooled: The Ohio State–Michigan rivalry has never been better.
“We are experiencing the greatest moment in this rivalry — maybe ever — and everything is on the line,” Klatt said on the most recent episode of his podcast, “The Joel Klatt Show.”
This Saturday will mark at least the fifth consecutive year that major stakes are on the line. Even though No. 1 OSU is almost assuredly going to be in the College Football Playoff, it essentially needs to win in order to play in the Big Ten Championship Game for the first time since 2020. No. 18 Michigan, meanwhile, is in a win-and-in situation.
Unlike recent matchups, this year’s version of “The Game” might not be viewed as a de facto playoff game. However, it’s clear what the stakes are — and even if they were lower, that might not make a difference. We all saw Michigan stun Ohio State in Columbus last year as over 20-point underdogs to extend its winning streak in the rivalry to four games.
As Ohio State head coach Ryan Day seeks his first win over Michigan, Klatt put into context the pressure Ohio State faces.
“For Ohio State, they don’t have one player that has beaten Michigan. For Michigan, they don’t have a single player that’s lost to Ohio State,” Klatt said. “So, as we start to build to this game, you have to understand that the pressure on Ohio State is immense.”
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Prior to Michigan’s winning streak in “The Game,” the rivalry was more lopsided the other way. Ohio State held an eight-game winning streak over Michigan and had won 17 of the previous 19 matchups (including the 2010 win that was later vacated) over the Wolverines before 2021.
In the leadup to Michigan’s 2021 win over Ohio State, Klatt said that one of the Wolverines’ top stars outlined what they were hoping for in that specific game and have used that mentality in the matchup ever since then.
“In the Michigan locker room, all they’re going to be talking about all week is give us a chance in the second half,” Klatt said. “All we’ve got to do is be close. That’s all they’re going to be thinking about. That’s all they’ve been thinking about since 2021. When we went in for meetings before that game. Aidan Hutchinson said that specifically to me. He said, ‘Joel, I just want a chance. I just want it to be a one-possession game in the fourth quarter. That’s all I want.’ And they ended up winning.
“That’s all Jim Harbaugh would talk about in the subsequent years. We just want to be close in the second half.”
Michigan actually won by double-digits in the first two games of its win streak over Ohio State before squeaking out one-score victories over the last two seasons. It might need to follow a similar path to take down this Ohio State team. The Buckeyes’ defense has been one of the best in recent memory, ranking No. 1 in the nation in yards (206.6) and points (7.6) allowed per game.
It’s obviously a daunting task for Michigan’s offense, especially when you consider that it has a freshman at quarterback. But after its 45-20 win over Maryland on Saturday, Klatt is continuing to buy stock in Bryce Underwood.
“That game against Maryland was a more consistent performance from Bryce Underwood, where he played at times elite, at times just very consistent, but it stayed there,” Klatt said. “Underwood was 16-of-23 for 215 and two touchdowns. They’re never going to ask him to be a guy that throws for 450 yards because they want to run the football and they did that with [Bryson] Kuzdal and a few of their different working backs.”
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However past Underwood, Klatt has preferred what he is seen out of Michigan’s offense as of late, as a number of members of the unit have wanted to step up since working again Justice Haynes was sidelined for the season with a foot damage.
“Abruptly, this offense begins to get cranked up,” Klatt mentioned. “They have been actually environment friendly working the soccer. They have been actually good throwing the soccer. Andrew Marsh has develop into an actual No. 1 on the surface as a real freshman. I believed Underwood performed one in all his higher video games. Even the sport in opposition to Northwestern, as large as these errors have been in opposition to Northwestern within the fourth quarter, they usually have been huge they usually virtually value them the sport, he nonetheless at occasions performed the perfect soccer he had performed in faculty.”
As Marsh has stepped up at broad receiver, Kuzdal was the most recent working again to thrive for Michigan. He rushed for 100 yards on 5 yards per carry and three touchdowns in opposition to Maryland on Saturday, filling in for an injured Jordan Marshall.
Michigan head coach Sherrone Moore mentioned after the sport that Marshall doubtless may’ve performed. However there’s one other damage concern that Klatt believes may very well be huge for the Wolverines, as tight finish Max Bredeson was seen utilizing crutches after getting damage on Saturday.
“Max Bredesonn is an enormous key to that offense. If you watch Michigan’s offense, you comply with No. 44, the ball often arrives the place No. 44 is at,” Klatt mentioned. “He is a menace as a blocker — not many guys you possibly can say that about — and he is an enormous key to their offense and somebody that they’re going to miss if he is not on the sphere after they tackle Ohio State subsequent week.”
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Ohio State is not totally wholesome both, although. The Buckeyes’ high two broad receivers, Jeremiah Smith and Carnell Tate, each missed Saturday’s win over Rutgers. Because of this, Ohio State wasn’t nice on offense to begin that sport.
Nonetheless, Ohio State was capable of ultimately roll to a 42-9 victory as Heisman candidate Julian Sayin accomplished 13 of 19 passes for 157 yards and two touchdowns within the win.
With Ohio State wanting each bit the a part of a staff that is looking for to win back-to-back titles at this level, successful Saturday’s sport over Michigan may come all the way down to what the Buckeyes do, versus what the Wolverines do. That is why Klatt believes Day’s message and mindset for Ohio State are essential forward of Saturday’s sport.
“In previous years, you’ve got heard lots about physicality, [the] run sport, matching and issues of that nature and never what he mentioned [on Saturday], which is ‘we’ll give attention to ourselves and be ourselves,'” Klatt mentioned. “That imaginative and prescient he spoke was the precise imaginative and prescient that gained them the nationwide championship a 12 months in the past. After they misplaced to Michigan, they centered on themselves — what are we and what will we do finest?
So, for Ohio State, they will be saying to themselves, ‘Concentrate on us. Concentrate on us. Concentrate on us.’”
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