Dawgs By Nature
The powerful rivalry has brought together Michael Hall, Zak Zinter
Auburn vs. Alabama’s Iron Bowl. The Civil War of Oregon State vs. Oregon. USC-UCLA and the Lexus Gauntlet. Army vs. Navy: America’s Game. The Sunshine Showdown of Florida State vs. Florida. Texas-Oklahoma Red River Showdown. Clean, Old-Fashioned Hate of Georgia versus Georgia Tech. Clemson against South Carolina’s Palmetto Series. Harvard vs. Yale: The Game.
All of these are traditional college football rivalry games. Each one has its own following and no matter what happens during the season, or what each team’s win-loss record is, this one game on the schedule can make or break a season. Beat your hated rivalry, and live to brag about it.
As intense as each one of these games is, none compares to Ohio State-Michigan. Or is it Michigan-Ohio State?
Fans of either college team absolutely despise each other. Would they help each other in a drowning incident? Maybe. What about a flat tire? Can’t say. Run into a burning building? If they are wearing street clothes perhaps, but in full college garb? Probably not.
Some situations force fans of either team to become civil and actually work together towards a common goal. Being stationed in a branch of the military is one. Working on the same team for a court case for another. On-staff at a school forces complete civility except on rivalry weekend.
Working on the same team branches out even further, say for instance, to an NFL team. Well, yes, it does. Players from different areas of the country and Canada are suddenly mixed into one football salad in order to perform on game day. They are expected to get along, learn, and work together to accomplish one common goal.
Do they get along? Certainly mandated. Do they remain enemies? One day a year, yes. But their beliefs, traditions as well as allegiance are set aside for 364 days.
Two new members of the Cleveland Browns have more than just the usual rivalry conditions.
They are linked once again after this year’s NFL draft: Rookie defensive tackle Michael Hall Jr., and rookie offensive guard Zak Zinter.
Let’s examine “The Game” which is traditionally the reference of the Michigan versus Ohio State college football game.
It is an annual event that is the final game between the two Big 10 schools.
A quick glance at a list of the college football teams with the most wins in the history of NCAA College Football finds Michigan on top with 1,004 wins. Second is Alabama with 965 victories followed by Ohio State’s 964. As far as win percentage, Michigan and Ohio State are tied with the best ratio with a .734 followed by Alabama’s .733 and Notre Dame at .730.
So, the programs are elite and appear to always be on top. Especially lately.
The longest win streak in this series was Michigan from 1897 to 1918 in which the Wolverines went 13-0-2. Ohio State’s lengthiest was eight contests from 2012 to...
