ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) 鈥� has had many upsets, including last year when as nearly 20-point underdogs.
The don鈥檛 want the to add to the long list at the Big House.
If Michigan wins a fifth straight games in the rivalry, it would rank as the second-biggest upset in terms of point spreads in at least 30 years.
Michigan was a 10-point underdog on Thursday, according to BetMGM Sportbook.
Here’s a look back at the top five upsets, based on point spreads, and two other matchups with stunning results in the storied series that dates to 1897.
1969
Perhaps the most memorable game in one of the greatest rivalries in sports came more than a half-century ago. Bo Schembechler capped his debut season as Michigan coach by beating his mentor, Woody Hayes, and the top-ranked Buckeyes 24-12.
Hayes later said that was the best team he ever had.
鈥渀You will never win a bigger game than that!鈥欌�� Schembechler recalled Hayes shouting at him. 鈥淎nd he was right. I don鈥檛 think I ever did.鈥�
The matchup was the start of what became known as the 鈥淭en Year War,鈥� with Bo beating his mentor five times, losing four games and finishing one matchup famously tied.
1973
There was enough drama in one game that it was the subject of a documentary that looked back at the all-time classic.
Undefeated and top-ranked Ohio State tied undefeated and fourth-ranked Michigan 10-10 after Wolverines kicker Mike Lantry missed two field goals late in the game.
Big Ten athletic directors chose Ohio State, not Michigan 鈥� perhaps because Wolverines quarterback Dennis Franklin was injured 鈥� to represent the Big Ten in the Rose Bowl at a time when the conference would only allow one team to be in a bowl. The conference would later decide to allow more than one school to participate in the postseason.
1995
Michigan was a nine-point underdog and ranked 18th when it beat the second-ranked Buckeyes 31-23 because they could not stop Tim Biakabutuka, who ran for and a touchdown in one of the greatest performances in series history.
2001
Most of the biggest upsets in The Game were wins for the Wolverines, but this year was an exception. The Buckeyes were 8 1/2-point underdogs in coach Jim season 鈥� and won.
Ohio State led 23-0 at halftime against No. 11 Michigan and earned a 26-20 victory, backing up what Tressel said would happen at a Buckeyes basketball game when he was introduced as the new football coach.
鈥淚 can assure you that you鈥檒l be proud of our young people 鈥� in the classroom and in the community, and most especially, in 310 days in Ann Arbor, Michigan,” Tressel told Ohio State fans on the day he was hired.
2021
Michigan was a 6 1/2-point underdog after Ohio State put together a school-record winning streak in the rivalry, taking 15 of 16 to turn The Game into its game before the Wolverines earned one of the most in the series.
matched a school record with five rushing touchdowns and had three sacks, helping the sixth-ranked Wolverines finally beat the second-ranked Buckeyes 42-27. That gave Jim Harbaugh his first win as a coach against Ohio State after starting 0-5.
2022
The Wolverines were nine-point underdogs in the Horseshoe, a year after breaking an eight-game losing streak in the series, and 45-23.
2024
In terms of point spreads available since 1995, last year’s stunner was the largest by far.
No. 2 Ohio State was favored to beat the offensively challenged, short-handed, five-loss, unranked Wolverines by 19 1/2 points 鈥� and .
The stunning setback dropped Buckeyes coach to 1-4 against Michigan with a fourth straight loss in the series, sparking some speculation his job was in jeopardy before he and his team silenced the talk with a resilient run to the national championship.
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