Michigan-Ohio State has always been “The Game.” OSU and UM have always been the big boys of the Big Ten. But are we approaching a new era of extremely clear-cut domination on the college football gridiron between the Wolverines and Buckeyes?
Brady Hoke has brought an attitude to Michigan that reminds many of Bo Schembechler, Gary Moeller and Lloyd Carr. In two seasons as head coach, Hoke has already won a BCS Bowl. He beat Ohio State his first season and came pretty close in his second. And he has also bought the “Big House Mystique” back by not yet losing at Michigan Stadium.
Urban Meyer has also kept Ohio State a national power after a scandal and one year probation that would have set most programs back awhile. He is 12-0 at THE Ohio State University and could very well be 26-0 after next season. He clearly recruits like the SEC man he once was, and is attracting the same SEC level of talent that he did at Florida.
Both schools are good as usual, but this appears to be the makings of a new big 2, little 8 era that existed back to the days of Bo and Woody.
Ohio State and Michigan ended this recruiting season with the #3 and #6 ranked classes, respectively. In recruiting…any team that lands a top ten class is pretty even. The next ranked Big Ten school is Nebraska at 23. So expect to see a Michigan-Ohio State Big Ten title game really soon. Both traditional powerhouses should be leaders of their divisions.
If Hoke and Meyer can effectively translate their good recruiting numbers into wins, which they have both proven the ability to do, this may be the beginning of a new era of domination for Michigan and Ohio State. It will be the 1960s and 1970s all over again.