Ohio State and Michigan going head-to-head in their longest running rivalry

COLUMBUS — Ohio State will face off against Michigan for their 118th game Saturday afternoon.

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The Saturday game will extend the universities’ long-standing and longest running rivalry.

Ohio State was originally scheduled to play against Michigan back in 2020; however, the game was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

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As the games are back on, this face-off will represent the 12th meeting between the programs with both ranked in the Associated Press Top 5.

“This is the most AP Top 5 meetings for any rivalry,” an Ohio State spokesperson said.

So far, Michigan leads the all-time series in wins with a 59-51-6, including a 32-24-4 record in Ann Arbor.

The series, however, is tied with Columbus at 27-27-2.

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Ohio State has won eight consecutive games over Michigan at Ohio Stadium, dating back to 2020, the spokesperson said. Furthermore, Michigan has not played in the stadium since 2018.

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Looking at the numbers, both Ohio State and Michigan are the “two winningest programs in FBS history,” according to the spokesperson. Michigan holds 987 victories in its 143rd season of play, while Ohio State has 953 victories in its 133rd season. With these results, MU has the most wins of any other team in the division, while Ohio State has the second most.

The game will also feature “two Top 10 defenses,” the spokesperson stated. Michigan takes the number one and number two spots nationally with 241.3 yards and 11.7 points allowed per game, respectively. Ohio State, on the other hand, ranks number nine and number 10 at 283.4 total yards and 16.9 points.

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The rivalry game is expected to be contentious as the two universities have played 43 games with the score being decided by seven points or less.

Ohio State leads, 20-17-6, with its last win in 2016.

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