Ohio State has an inferiority complex. Whether those who open the pages of this paper like it or not, it is an undeniable truth.
OSU’s obsession with Michigan provides proof.
The Buckeyes have captured six national championships to the Wolverines’ 11. OSU has won 28 Big Ten titles, traveled to 13 Rose Bowls and won six, but Michigan has taken 40 conference championships, been to 17 Rose Bowls and won eight. The ‘Shoe can hold in excess of 104,000, The Big House can top 111,000.
The proof is in the numbers. And the fact that the aforementioned obsession is simply not mutual.
It seems in just about every tangible category, the Buckeyes fall short. The knife in the heart is this may carry over to a very intangible category OSU fans hold dear – rivalry.
There is little question who the Buckeyes’ biggest rival is. But Michigan’s top adversary? That’s up for debate.
Some say it would be Michigan’s rival in excellence, OSU. But many would argue the more natural rival of the Wolverines – Michigan State – is the more hated of the two.
An example: The fandom in Columbus thinks Bo/Woody is thought of as the greatest coaching rivalry in the history of sports. However, 200 miles to the north, Schembecler’s tussles with Michigan State’s legend, Duffy Daughterty, are held in the same esteem.
“I’m always being asked which is the bigger game, Michigan State or Ohio State,” said Michigan coach Lloyd Carr, who will be coaching in his 22nd Michigan vs. Ohio State game on Saturday and his seventh as a head coach. He is 5-1 against the Buckeyes.
“I always say the same thing – either one.”
To be sure, OSU vs. Michigan is usually the more critical game as far as Big Ten titles and bowl bids. It is the final game of the season and, since 1993, there have been four instances where one team came in undefeated, ranked in the top five in the nation and in the thick of the national title hunt.
Three out of four times that team was OSU. The 1997 Michigan team was the only one to walk unblemished. They would go to win their 11th national title, a title OSU has been starved of since 1968.
“When I signed a letter-of-intent to come here, growing up in Detroit, you know the championship game is always the last game,” Michigan linebacker Larry Foote told The Detroit News.
“That’s the way it should be.”
In contrast, the Michigan State rivalry rarely has the same level of implications for both teams. Michigan State trails in the series 27-61-5, while the Wolverines hold a 56-35-6 edge in their series with OSU.
Michigan State comes into the Michigan game as more than a spoiler only on occasion and the game comes in early to mid-October, leaving plenty of time for the losing team to recover. But the rivalry edge they hold is in proximity and state bragging rights.
The battle for the Paul Bunyon Trophy pits two schools separated by just 60 miles. In the week leading up to the game, hijinx between the rivals from East Lansing and Ann Arbor is in the air.
Michigan State has students on shifts to create a 24-hour watch of the 10-foot Spartan statue in the middle of campus during the seven days leading up to the game. This is necessary because there has been a history of “Sparty” turning up painted maize and blue for game day.
Many students from Michigan and MSU attended high school together and the two institutions have distinct images that make the rivalry a perfect fit. Academic Pillar vs. Party School.
It also transcends football. Both Michigan and MSU have won national titles in both basketball and hockey over the past 15 years.
In hockey, Michigan and MSU are considered among the top handful of programs in the nation. Their Oct. 6 matchup in open-air Spartan Stadium drew over 72,000 fans, a world record for hockey.
For these reasons, for Michigan students, Michigan State appears to be the bigger game.
But for the players who will take the field on Saturday? The consensus seems to be Ohio State is, indeed, held in higher esteem.
The trash-talking and pregame hype make it that way. Buckeye players have always seemed to spit out the wrong words during the week, with Terry Glenn and David Boston as two of the more well-known culprits.
OSU coach Jim Tressel appeared at a basketball game last January after getting the job and spoke of how his team would make the fans proud “310 days from now in Ann Arbor.” In Ann Arbor, even that was seen as a slap.
“He called us out,” Michigan linebacker Victor Hobson said. “He’s done a lot of good things in his first year. But we’re not running anywhere. We’re ready. Now we can count down, too.”
The biting comments will come to an end on Saturday.
Michigan and Ohio State. The Maize and Blue and Scarlet and Gray.
In the Great Lakes State, the rivalry may not stack up. On a national scope, few can compete.
“All during the season, (the Buckeyes) pop into your head,” Foote said. “During the offseason, in the weight room, their colors, their Buckeyes pop in your head. That’s what I came to Michigan for, to play against those guys.”
