College Football 2011: 5 Reasons Michigan Will Beat Ohio State

The fact that Ohio State has beaten Michigan seven times in a row is ridiculous, absurd, unbelievable, embarrassing and any other adjective you can imagine of to describe it.  Before the streak started, it was unthinkable to picture either team winning seven in a row in this series.

The streak started in 2004 in Columbus, when Ohio State upset a heavily favored Michigan team.  In 2005, Michigan led with only a few minutes to go but lost the lead late in the game.  Everybody remembers the classic 2006 showdown that saw Ohio State barely escape with a three-point win. 

The 2007 matchup offered a trip to the Rose Bowl, but the Bucks escaped Ann Arbor with an 11-point victory.

Things only got worse when Rich Rodriguez took over, as Michigan was basically not even given a chance the three times he faced them.

However, since the two teams' last meeting, nobody could have foreseen what has all played out off the field.  The endless scandals and violations surrounding Ohio State's program has been the talk of the college football world this offseason.

There has been lots of media attention surrounding Michigan as well, but for the opposite reasons.  Brady Hoke has said and done all the right things since taking over the head coaching job, and looks to have this program back on the verge of greatness.

Nobody wants this embarrassing streak to end more than Hoke, and that's why on November 26, he will make darned sure that it happens.

5. Quarterback Play

Whether or not Braxton Miller starts the opener for Ohio State remains to be seen, but either way, he will likely be starting at quarterback by the time Nov. 26 rolls around.  However, he will still be a true freshman that has never played in a game of this magnitude.

Michigan, on the other hand, will have a veteran at quarterback in Denard Robinson, who has had the opportunity of playing in The Game twice.

When looking at the most important position on the field, it's not even close when seeing who has the advantage.  Miller will certainly have plenty of game experience once Nov. 26 arrives, but he will still make the mistakes that all freshmen make.

If he's lucky, he may be an average quarterback in 2011, but he will obviously be nowhere near the level Robinson is at.

If Miller struggles mightily this year (which is a very realistic possibility), then some OSU fans may make the case that Joe Bauserman could start this game at quarterback.  If that happens, it would just make the Michigan defense's task even easier.

Robinson will be by far the best quarterback on the field that day and will lead his team to victory.

4. The Game Is in Ann Arbor

If The Game was being played in Columbus this year, then Ohio State may be favored.  But it's not, and Michigan will be favored by most people (outside of Ohio).

Obviously, the home team almost always has the advantage in not only this game, but seemingly in all levels of sports.

Ohio State has won three in a row in Ann Arbor, but the victories haven't come easy.  In 2005, the Buckeyes narrowly escaped with a four-point victory, and an 11-point victory in both 2007 and 2009.

The chances of them making it four in a row in the Big House seem slim.  The crowd will be absolutely insane, as Michigan fans from all over will be rooting for the streak to end just as much as the players will be.

Brady Hoke will not accept a loss to the Buckeyes in his Michigan coaching debut, especially on his home turf.

3. Ohio State's Off-Field Issues

Whether or not Ohio State will have received its full punishment from the NCAA by Nov. 26 remains to be seen, but either way it will affect its performance on the field.

No analysts expect this 2011 Ohio State team to look like the ones of recent years, and it's all because of its off-field problems.

Seemingly no college football team lately dealing with NCAA violations can go through a season unaffected by it.  It's always a distraction and usually affects how the team plays.

A perfect example of this is USC.  They were loaded with talent last year, but had been hit with sanctions by the NCAA, contributing to the team losing five games.

The Ohio State players this year certainly won't be able to ignore the violations, and it will be on their minds even during a game like this.  The media will be talking about it constantly, and no matter how hard they try to ignore it, they won't be able to, and it will likely cause their performance to suffer.

2. No Jim Tressel

As much as I hate to admit it, Jim Tressel owned Michigan.  For whatever reason, some coaches just have another team's number.  Tressel went 9-1 in his Ohio State coaching career against Michigan.

However, he is no longer coach at Ohio State, and it is unlikely that the Buckeyes will play the same way against Michigan that they did under Tressel.

They played with a unique confidence, and under Fickell that is unlikely to continue.

The inspiration that Tressel inspired in his players going into this game is gone, and the players won't respond the same way to Fickell.

Plus, Michigan will go in with a different kind of confidence knowing that Tressel is gone.  The Wolverines will go in with the mentality that they can beat Fickell and Ohio State, and they will.

1. Brady Hoke

Brady Hoke will not—cannot—lose to Ohio State in his debut season at Michigan.  He will pound it into every player's mind that losing to the folks from Columbus for an eighth straight time is simply not an option.

The intensity Michigan will show in this game will be unbelievable.  The atmosphere that the fans in attendance will be a part of will be unbelievable.  The media hype surrounding this game will certainly be unbelievable as well, as the media will likely be rooting for Michigan.

And it's all because of Hoke.  Nobody understands this rivalry better than he does.  Nobody wants to beat Ohio State more than he does.  And honestly, there is no better person for the job than Hoke.

On Nov. 26, when that ball is kicked off at noon in Ann Arbor, Hoke and his players will make Michigan fans everywhere proud, as Michigan will walk off the field in victory, restoring order to this rivalry.