by: Andy Staples 10 hours ago AndyStaples
We can be honest with one another, can’t we? We’re in the trust bracket here.
This past weekend’s slate of games wasn’t the most exciting. With the exception of Pittsburgh beating Georgia Tech to shake up an already frothy ACC title race, there weren’t a lot of results that threatened to change the College Football Playoff rankings. Oregon dispatched USC. Oklahoma beat Missouri. Most of the remaining teams currently projected to be in the field were either off or cruising past overmatched foes.
That won’t be the case next week. Alabama’s visit to Auburn carries enormous stakes for the Crimson Tide. The ACC race will finally be decided, and so will the participants in the Big 12 title game. But no result on this lackluster Saturday mattered more for generating potential drama than Michigan’s 45-20 win against Maryland.
That result means the 9-2 Wolverines will host 11-0 Ohio State next Saturday at Michigan Stadium. Ohio State is trying to break a four-game losing streak to Michigan. The Wolverines are trying to once again rip the Buckeyes’ hearts out of their chests. Only this time, doing so would help Michigan get into the CFP.
The Game was interesting enough last season when a long-out-of-it Michigan team shocked Ohio State and created an existential crisis that may have actually helped the Buckeyes find themselves and then roll to a national title. But it could be so much juicier this year. Michigan could win again, extend the streak and make the playoff. Or Ohio State could break the streak, and, to add insult to injury, crush the Wolverines’ playoff dreams.
This is exactly what rivalry weekend should be.