Hoke vs Fickell, Michigan vs Ohio State, the Greatest Rivalry in Sports

There is a chill in the air, the leaves are in piles along the curb, and turkeys are disappearing from grocery store freezers, it must be time for the “Greatest Rivalry in Sports”, Michigan versus Ohio State.

Maybe its not for the top spot in the Big Ten this year, and Bo and Woody can only watch from that big press box in the sky.  RichRod and even Sweater Vest Tress are long gone, but certainly not forgotten.

First year University of Michigan head coach Brady Hoke has everyone in Ann Arbor doing the Hokey Pokey over the drastic turnaround from last year.  The Wolverines are 9-2 overall and were a perfect 6-0 before instate rival Michigan State tripped them up at Spartan Stadium in early October.  Michigan’s only other loss came at Iowa and hardcore UM fans still claim that the referees got it wrong on a close TD call at the end of that game.

Along the way the Big Blue posted wins over Notre Dame and Big Ten newcomer the Cornhuskers from Nebraska.  With QB Denard Robinson still the most dangerous man in college football, the Wolverine offense can score points in bunches, but the real reason for their success this year is their drastic improvement on defense.

Under Coach Hoke’s leadership the Wolverine defense is ranked third in the Big Ten, allowing only 15.6 points per game versus 2010 when the defense was ranked next to last in the conference and gave up 33.8 points per game.

Defense was clearly not something that RichRod was familiar with.

Ohio State on the other hand has suffered mightily through a nightmare season.  Suspensions, early departures, NCAA violations, and the firing of previous head coach Jim Tressel left the Buckeyes in a state of constant uncertainty and turmoil. 

Interim head coach, Luke Fickell is a true Buckeye and has done a commendable job of plugging the dike.  But the fact remains that trying to play big time college football with a true freshman quarterback and inexperienced skill players around him on offense, is a recipe for disaster. 

It seemed that OSU had found a sound strategy after a solid win over Wisconsin, but successive losses to Purdue and Penn State extinguished any glimmer of hope in Columbus.

All that remains is the “Big Game” coming up at noon on Saturday.  Warm up some left over turkey and dressing, settle into your favorite chair and maybe even have a cold beverage or two, because to the Ohio State and Michigan football teams and fans this is the game that matters. 

Rose Bowl, BCS Bowl, Toilet Bowl, it all comes down to this. 

Michigan fans and Brady Hoke are well aware of the past seven years of dominance of the “Big Game” by the Buckeyes.  He has brought a new energy and philosophy to Ann Arbor and a new era in the Michigan/Ohio State rivalry is about to begin.