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On Hand

Why are Michigan and Ohio State football rivals?

By April Baer,
Elinor Epperson, Adam Yahya Rayes
Published November 14, 2025 at 5:05 AM EST
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Images Courtesy of Bentley Historical Library; Design by Ronia Cabansag

  • The feud between coaches Woody Hayes and Bo Schembechler shaped the way many modern fans think about The Game. 
  • But The Rivalry has been fueled by events by much earlier elements, dating back to the founding of the Western Conference in the early 1900s. 
  • Many players on both teams, including NFL veteran Tyrone Wheatley, say the feud shaped the way they thinks about their competition.

For many of us, Michigan vs Ohio State is not one of college football’s bitterest rivalries.

It’s THE rivalry.

I should know. I was born in Columbus, and grew up marinating in the single-minded, grid-iron obsession that is Ohio State fandom. Living on the West Coast in the early Aughts, I met and married a Wolverine. Through 15 years of dating, marriage, and child-raising, I think he wasn’t fully convinced my Buckeye DNA hadn’t hexed the outcome of The Game during our acquaintance until we both attended in person in 2021. [The drama of that day was enough to make me turn in my Ohio passport and start rooting Blue.]

So when a listener asked us about why it’s Michigan and Ohio State – not Michigan and Indiana, or Michigan and Illinois – the On Hand team unanimously nominated me to get the story. And it's not the story I thought I was after. This grudge match did not begin with the coaching duel that was Woody Hayes and Bo Schembechler's Ten Year War.

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We turned to Michael Rosenberg, senior writer for Sports Illustrated, and the author of my favorite book on The Rivalry, War As They Knew It: Woody Hayes, Bo Schembechler, and America in a Time of Unrest. Mike has a great lens on the Ten Year War, and the older Western Conference history that offers real answers for how Ohio State and Michigan got really and truly crosswise.

We also spoke with Tyrone Wheatley, Michigan’s legendary running back (also an NFL veteran AND collegiate track star). Now head coach for the Wayne State Warriors, Wheatley was ready to share how The Rivalry informed his playing - and today - his approach to coaching.

What’s your story of The Rivalry?

Want to submit a question to On Hand or a story about the Michigan-Ohio State rivalry? Do it here:

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On Hand footballMichigan footballUniversity of Michiganohio state university
April Baer
April Baer is the host of Michigan Public’s Stateside talk show.
See stories by April Baer
Elinor Epperson
Elinor Epperson is an environment intern through the Great Lakes News Collaborative. She is wrapping up her master's degree in journalism at Michigan State University.
See stories by Elinor Epperson
Adam Yahya Rayes
Large sets of numbers add up to peoples’ stories. As Michigan Public’s Data Reporter, Adam Yahya Rayes seeks to sift through noisy digits to put the individuals and policies that make up our communities into perspective.
See stories by Adam Yahya Rayes
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