The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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THE WOLVERINE 2023 FOOTBALL PREVIEW ■ 25 year. Instead, the home crowd collectively clutched its buckeye necklaces in vain while U-M ran over OSU again, 45-23. Two years, two wins, two Big Ten titles, two College Football Playoff appearances. The U-M Marching Band played "The Victors," but it might as well have boomed out "Ding-Dong, The Witch Is Dead." "That's the thing that really concerns, or worries, the Ohio State fan base, as well as the alumni," noted Jon Jansen, two- time Michigan captain and current radio analyst for Wolverine games. "It's not just a one-off. They're not seeing it as a one- off. They're seeing it as, this is a fistfight. This is going to be a battle every single year, because of how Michigan is operat- ing as a program." Of course, not all Buckeye fans are will- ing to concede much. Former OSU head coach Jim Tressel recently told The To- ledo Blade, "There's no question, I think the Buckeyes will make us proud in Ann Arbor," referring to this year's Nov. 25 high-noon showdown in The Big House. In doing so, he harkened back to a similar promise made and fulfilled when he first arrived in Columbus as Ohio State's head coach. Tressel likely didn't make integrity- minded OSU fans proud when he resigned in disgrace after being shown to have lied to the NCAA about rules violations. Then again, the man who went 9-1 against Michigan received a standing ovation at The Horseshoe upon his eventual return, so Buckeye Nation can prove a forgiving lot, under the right circumstances. Ryan Day stands 1-2 against the Wol- verines, making someone who compiled a 45-6 record so far suspect in some eyes. Don't look for the present Michigan play- ers to fear another sudden reversal, or as- sist in scarlet and gray pride building. They like things as they stand.