Michigan all-in for Ohio State: ‘If we don’t win this game, the season doesn’t matter’

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — The goal was set and stated publicly before the season even started. Players like Blake Corum returned to Michigan to take the program over the top and win a national championship.

But in order to do that, the 11-0 Wolverines believe they must first knock off arch rival Ohio State on Saturday (Noon, FOX) in what is shaping up to be another winner-take-all game. The team that comes out victorious will not only win the Big Ten East Division and play for a conference title, but have the open runway to the College Football Playoff.

The loser will likely find itself on the outside looking in to a crowded four-team playoff stage, and will need plenty of help elsewhere (and some mercy from the selection committee) to find a way in. It sets the stage for a high-stakes showdown at Michigan Stadium, a game Michigan players say they’re all-in on.

“We think about that everyday,” Trevor Keegan, a Michigan offensive lineman and one of six team captains, said. “This is a game that we’ve prepared for. If we don’t win this game, the season doesn’t matter.”

Michigan was No. 3 in the latest CFP rankings, one spot behind unbeaten Ohio State, a slight that can be credited to its strength of schedule. The Wolverines plowed through a non-conference slate of East Carolina, Nevada, Las Vegas and Bowling Green, then had their way with a group of noncompetitive Big Ten teams: Easy wins over Rutgers, Nebraska, Minnesota, Indiana, a 49-0 win over in-state rival Michigan State, and Purdue.

More: How much will Michigan miss Jim Harbaugh on the sideline vs. Ohio State?

Things proved a bit more difficult for Michigan in recent weeks, beating ranked Penn State 24-15, and then surviving a scare, 31-24, over Maryland.

“That’s just one of the goals we’ve had this year,” Zak Zinter, a Michigan offensive lineman and team captain, said. “Beat Michigan State. Beat Penn State. And the next one’s up. We’re going to do everything we can do that.”

Meanwhile, Michigan has accomplished all this success amid an unprecedented backdrop of criticism and controversy. The program is under two separate NCAA investigations, one for recruiting violations and improper use of coaches and another for advanced scouting, that have netted head coach Jim Harbaugh a pair of three-game suspensions. Harbaugh will not be on the sideline Saturday, when he’s set to finish his second banishment, after the Big Ten determined a Michigan staffer violated its sportsmanship policy by organizing an “extensive, years-long in-person advance scouting scheme” that “inherently compromise(d) the integrity of competition.”

Michigan players have used the accusations and absence of their head coach as a rallying cry in recent weeks, wearing apparel that reads ‘Free Jim Harbaugh’ and ‘Michigan vs. Everybody’ in an attempt to flip the narrative.

This week, though, there’s a different mantra.

“What are you going to do today to beat Ohio State? That’s a motto we’ve lived by for two years,” Michigan defensive tackle Kris Jenkins said. “That’s everything we’ve started to work on; everything we’ve stated to build. It’s for moments like this.”

After losing eight straight games and a stretch of 15 of 16 dating back to 2004, Michigan flipped the rivalry in 2021 with a convincing 45-27 win. The Wolverines used a physical, ground-and-pound style of play that slowed the high-powered Ohio State offense. They followed it up last year in Columbus with a 45-23 victory, winning despite an injured Corum and run game that struggled for two and a half quarters.

Those wins give Michigan the momentum heading into Saturday, with oddsmakers currently listing the Wolverines as 3 1/2-point favorites, despite all the off-the-field distractions. Yet pressure resides on both sides for different reasons.

Ryan Day is 1-2 against Michigan as Ohio State head coach, and critics suggest a win here is necessary to help preserve his legacy in Columbus; while Michigan players are under fire for benefitting from his ongoing sign-stealing scheme. This game can help make or break a season.

“We always know that we got that big one at the end of the year that kind of matters more than the rest of ‘em,” linebacker Michael Barrett said. “We’ve had our goals from the beginning, and we’ve kind of knocked them all off. They’re the next team in the way, so we if we don’t win this game, yeah, our season will be pretty much be over.

“We can’t get to our next goal without getting this one.”