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Football
Buckeye and Wolvernine Players Agree; Season Ending Game is Special
By Brandon Castel

Ohio State athletic director Gene Smith caused a stir this week while speaking to some students at a seminar. Although he later told the Columbus Dispatch that his comments were “misconstrued,” Smith has brought Big Ten alignment back to the forefront with his scenario in which OSU and Michigan might be in separate divisions with “The Game” being played earlier in November.

Smith later said he has “no clue” how they will decide to align the divisions for 2011, or when the Ohio State-Michigan game will be played in future years. We asked some current players from both schools what they would think about not getting to play their archrivals in the regular-season finale.

“I think it would be different, it would be weird,” said OSU wide receiver Dane Sanzenbacher, who has three wins over Michigan in his career.

 “When things change like that, it can make you stumble a little bit. For new guys coming into the program who only see that, maybe it would be different for them, but it would be weird for older guys.”

As a fourth-year senior out Central Catholic High School, Sanzenbacher has been uniquely placed at the heart of the rivalry for most of his life. Growing up in Toledo, where Scarlet and Gray battles Maize and Blue 24/7, he has only known one way to end the season.

“I’ve been on that border war for a while and it’s always been the cap on the season,” Sanzenbacher said.

“It’s not going to affect me a whole lot if it changes, but it would be cool to see that as the last game of the year for us.”

While it has been that way for the entirety of Sanzenbacher’s existence—as well as the players on the team, along the majority of the coaches—but it wasn’t always that way. Michigan and Ohio State have met in the final game of the regular season every year since 1934, which happens to be the year Buckeye Head Coach Francis Schmidt declared that the Wolverines “put their pants on one leg at a time, just like everybody else.” It was that proclamation that eventually led the creation of the “Gold Pants” trinket give annually to the winner of the Ohio State-Michigan game.

Prior to 1934, the Buckeyes played season-ending rivalry game against Illinois which dated back to 1919, the year Chic Harley led Ohio State to its first ever win over Michigan. That is 91 years of history for the Buckeyes closing their regular season in a rivalry game, something that drives both teams throughout the course of the season.

“I’d be very annoyed if we weren’t able to play them at the end of the year because that’s just what eggs everybody on the whole year,” Michigan cornerback Troy Woolfolk said at Big Ten Media Days in Chicago.

“You think about Ohio State at the end, you’ve got to get better for them. The true war effect. We have tremendous respect for each other, but at the same time a strong dislike for each other.”

Putting the neighboring schools in opposite divisions would likely not endanger the rivalry, which has been played for 93 straight years dating back to 1917.

“I’m not concerned that we would ever lose that great rivalry,” OSU Head Coach Jim Tressel said.

“The Big Ten is a smart media marketing firm and they’re not going to lose that Ohio State-Michigan game.”

It might, however, remove some of the luster that comes with playing such a bitter rivalry game at the culmination of the season. Especially at a school where Woody Hayes used to game plan for Michigan every Monday during the regular season.

“It would take some of the importance away, I’m sure,” said Michigan offensive lineman Stephen Schilling. 

“It’s nice to have that game at the end of the year. Both teams are kind of beaten up but you get that extra little bit of energy to go in there against your rival.”

The players all seemed to agree that Ohio State vs. Michigan will always be an interesting game that draws national attention no matter what point of the season it’s played, but playing it earlier in the season would eliminate some of the excitement that comes with building up towards a heated rivalry game at the end of the year.

“Throughout the year I feel like I’m constantly preparing to play Ohio State and I think it would take out some of the fun away because you have something to look forward to at the end of the year,” Woolfolk said.

“I think it would be very disappointing if we weren’t allowed to play them at the end of the year. I wouldn’t really want that and I hope the commissioner makes the right decision.”

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