The Ohio State-Michigan football rivalry is potentially about to reach new heights. With the Big Ten set to expand to 16 teams, the conference will eliminate divisions after the 2023 college football season. That means the Ohio State football and Michigan football teams could face off twice before the College Football Playoffs; once in their annual regular-season meeting, and again in the Big Ten Championship Game.
Because the annual Ohio State-Michigan game concludes the regular-season schedule, the new Big Ten rules could force the Buckeyes and Wolverines to play each other in back-to-back weeks. It would add a new wrinkle to the greatest rivalry in college football, as early as 2024.
Michigan vs. @OhioStateFB in consecutive weeks?
We know you've thought about it, and @MikeHallHere asked @OSU_AD Gene Smith about it. 👇 pic.twitter.com/uQZyI6etoM
— Ohio State on BTN (@OhioStateOnBTN) June 9, 2023
“That is a possibility,” Ohio State Athletic Director Gene Smith told the Big Ten Network's Mike Hall when asked if there could be two Ohio State-Michigan football games in as many weeks. “We talked about that…we agreed to that for the betterment of the whole, the betterment of the league, relative to our overall scheduling format and our television partners. At the end of the day, we needed to accept that as a possibility.”
In each of the last two years, Michigan has defeated Ohio State to end the regular-season schedule, winning the Big Ten's East division. The Wolverines have won the last two Big Ten Championship Games by a combined 60 points.
UCLA and USC will officially leave the Pac-12 for the Big Ten in the 2024 season, giving the conference 16 teams. The Big Ten has assured that Ohio State and Michigan will continue to play each other each season.
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