Michigan-Ohio State: Coaching Changes, Big Ten Expansion Add Life to Rivalry

The reputation of the Michigan-Ohio State football rivalry has taken quite hit the last three seasons. 

The Game was left in shambles by the non-competitive nature of the Rich Rodriguez regime. 

To add insult to injury, the Big 10 Conference expanded to 12 teams and added a championship game.  

Would that do further damage to the rivalry? 

With this in mind, the Big 10 placed Michigan and Ohio State in opposite divisions and kept The Game on the final weekend of the regular season.

The changes didn't end there. First, Brady Hoke was brought in to replace Rodriguez. This morning, Jim Tressel resigned at Ohio State.

It's obvious Hoke has already added new life to the Michigan football program. Time will tell what's next for Ohio State.

For sure, the Buckeyes will miss Tressel's mastery over Michigan. Since he arrived in 2001, Tressel's teams have won nine of the last 10 games.

Before these latest developments, Ohio State was still picked to win the conference and continue its dominance over Michigan.

Defensive coordinator Luke Fickell takes over for Tressel though the end of 2011.

Urban Meyer, who was an Ohio State graduate assistant in the mid-1980s, is an early candidate among those speculated for the permanent Buckeyes job.

The Game has featured startling upsets by rookie coaches. In 1969, first-year coach Bo Schembechler led his Wolverines to a 24-12 upset over the undefeated Buckeyes. Backup quarterback Craig Krenzel led OSU to a 26-20 win in Tressel's Michigan-Ohio State debut.

The last time both teams had rookie coaches was 1929. Sam Willaman's Buckeyes bested Michigan's Harry Kipke 7-0 in Ann Arbor.