Buckeyes Now

Ohio State legend Urban Meyer ranks his favorite wins against Michigan

Urban Meyer, now a desk analyst with Fox Sports, shared recently the reasoning behind his favorite wins against Michigan during his coaching tenure.
Zain Bando|
Dec 3, 2022; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; FOX Sports analyst Urban Meyer before the Big Ten Championship between the Michigan Wolverines and the Purdue Boilermakers at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images
Dec 3, 2022; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; FOX Sports analyst Urban Meyer before the Big Ten Championship between the Michigan Wolverines and the Purdue Boilermakers at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images | Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images

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Ohio State Buckeyes

Former Ohio State football coach Urban Meyer has kept his allegiance to the Buckeyes close despite being far removed from the coaching ranks as a well-versed analyst for Fox Sports. With "The Game" under a month away in Ann Arbor, Meyer was recently blunt about his feelings about the rivalry and its ranking amongst his coaching accomplishments.

Meyer will be in attendance for "Big Noon Kickoff" this Saturday when the No. 1-ranked Buckeyes (7-0, 4-0 Big Ten) play host to the struggling Penn State Nittany Lions (3-4, 0-4 Big Ten) in a game that initially had immense high stakes. A few weeks have passed since James Franklin's dismissal in State College, and it's unlikely the Nittany Lions will reach a bowl game under an interim coach barring a colossal upset.

When it comes to the Michigan Wolverines (6-2, 4-1 Big Ten), however, Meyer takes the rivalry much more personally. During his Ohio State tenure, Meyer went 7-0 across a six-year period between 2012-2018.

However, in a recent discussion about the rivalry, Meyer suggested that of his seven head-to-head wins, only four stood out.

"Let's go 2012 when we beat the Wolverines in our first win against them," Meyer said. "Then I would say 2014 against the Wolverines when JT [Barrett] got hurt, Cardale [Jones] came in and we beat the Wolverines. I would say 2018 against the Wolverines, 62-39. [It was] my last game at the 'Shoe. And then, finally, without a doubt, 2016 against the Wolverines – the only overtime game in that rivalry. In double overtime, the Buckeyes escaped."

Since Meyer left Columbus, the rivalry has been anything but positive for Ohio State. The Wolverines are seeking back-to-back wins under coach Sherrone Moore and their fifth-straight win dating to Nov. 2021.

Both teams appear to be on a collision course to be part of a win-and-in scenario for the Big Ten Championship in Indianapolis, Ind. The Buckeyes were upset by the Wolverines last season, 13-10, but wound up making a run to culminate with a College Football Playoff national title win against Notre Dame by season's end.

The Wolverines have won their last two games since dropping their lone Big Ten contest to the USC Trojans (6-2, 3-1 Big Ten) Oct. 11 in Los Angeles.

While the Buckeyes attempt to maintain dominance against the Nittany Lions, the Wolverines will attempt to eliminate the Purdue Boilermakers (0-5, 2-6 Big Ten) from bowl eligibility Saturday night in Ann Arbor.

For now, a path to an all important rivalry game can be in play as soon as this Saturday.

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Zain Bando
ZAIN BANDO

Zain Bando is a Sports Desk writer for BIGPLAY with a focus on covering the Ohio State Buckeyes and Cleveland Browns. Bando has been with the On SI network since October 2023, contributing across the Illinois Fighting Illini on SI and the Kansas State on SI sites, among others. Currently, Bando serves as a staff writer and columnist for MMA Knockout on SI, as well as the recently launched WNBA section of On SI, with a focus on the Dallas Wings.

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