The College Football Playoff’s last two national champions collide in Ann Arbor on Nov. 29.

Ohio State won the CFP title in January 2025. Michigan won it in 2024 and has beaten the Buckeyes four straight times, including last year’s contest in Columbus. 

OSU was heavily favored to win that game but lost to unranked U of M 13-10.

Head coach Ryan Day’s team recovered and roared through the playoffs, beating Notre Dame in the championship game.

Michigan lives rent-free in OSU’s head

Columbus Dispatch sportswriter Joey Kaufman says the Wolverines seem to have a psychological edge in this long-running rivalry.

“It just feels like, for whatever reason, Michigan has been in Ohio State’s head,” he says.

OSU hasn’t beaten its archrival since 2019. The two teams did not play in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Kaufman says this year, the scarlet and gray are treating it as a normal game.

“They’ve tried to structure their routine to be more akin to a typical game week rather than ‘Michigan week,'” he says.

That does not mean the game will be less intense. OSU players and fans, still stinging from last year’s defeat, despise “the team up north” as much as ever. 

People have covered up the letter “m” with red “x” stickers on signs throughout Columbus. And Kaufman says many fans are still sore after Michigan players planted a large, blue block “M” flag in the center of Ohio Stadium.

“Even though the rivalry has meant less than ever in terms of the on-field stakes and the national championship, the bitterness is evident,” Kaufman says.

“The Game” or just “a” game?

During the latter half of the 20th century, the winner of this game invariable won the Big Ten Conference championship and a berth in the Rose Bowl. Since 2001, conference realignment and the playoff system have lowered the stakes. It’s possible to lose the game and still win a national title. 

In 2025, Ohio State enters Michigan Stadium unbeaten and ranked first in the College Football Playoff rankings. Michigan, at 9-and-2, is 15th. A fifth straight win could earn the Wolverines a berth in the 12-team playoff field and a trip to the conference championship in Indianapolis on December 6. OSU is a virtual lock for the playoff, but beating the maize and blue would solidify their position as the tournament’s top seed.

Kickoff is scheduled for noon at the Big House.