Joel Klatt: 'Everything Is on the Line' in the Greatest Era of Ohio State–Michigan

Published November 24, 2025

The scoreboard has tilted one way for four years, but FOX Sports lead college football analyst Joel Klatt says don’t be fooled: The Ohio State-Michigan rivalry has never been better.

"We are experiencing the greatest moment in this rivalry — maybe ever — and everything is on the line," Klatt said on the most recent episode of his podcast, "The Joel Klatt Show."

This Saturday will mark at least the fifth consecutive year that major stakes are on the line. Even though No. 1 OSU is almost assuredly going to be in the College Football Playoff, it essentially needs to win in order to play in the Big Ten Championship Game for the first time since 2020. No. 18 Michigan, meanwhile, is in a win-and-in situation.

Unlike recent matchups, this year's version of "The Game" might not be viewed as a de facto playoff game. However, it's clear what the stakes are — and even if they were lower, that might not make a difference. We all saw Michigan stun Ohio State in Columbus last year as over 20-point underdogs to extend its winning streak in the rivalry to four games.

As Ohio State head coach Ryan Day seeks his first win over Michigan, Klatt put into context the pressure Ohio State faces.

"For Ohio State, they don't have one player that has beaten Michigan. For Michigan, they don't have a single player that's lost to Ohio State," Klatt said. "So, as we start to build to this game, you have to understand that the pressure on Ohio State is immense."

Prior to Michigan's winning streak in "The Game," the rivalry was more lopsided the other way. Ohio State held an eight-game winning streak over Michigan and had won 17 of the previous 19 matchups (including the 2010 win that was later vacated) over the Wolverines before 2021.

In the leadup to Michigan's 2021 win over Ohio State, Klatt said that one of the Wolverines' top stars outlined what they were hoping for in that specific game and have used that mentality in the matchup ever since then.

"In the Michigan locker room, all they're going to be talking about all week is give us a chance in the second half," Klatt said. "All we've got to do is be close. That's all they're going to be thinking about. That's all they've been thinking about since 2021. When we went in for meetings before that game. Aidan Hutchinson said that specifically to me. He said, 'Joel, I just want a chance. I just want it to be a one-possession game in the fourth quarter. That's all I want.' And they ended up winning.

"That's all Jim Harbaugh would talk about in the subsequent years. We just want to be close in the second half."

Michigan actually won by double-digits in the first two games of its win streak over Ohio State before squeaking out one-score victories over the last two seasons. It might need to follow a similar path to take down this Ohio State team. The Buckeyes' defense has been one of the best in recent memory, ranking No. 1 in the nation in yards (206.6) and points (7.6) allowed per game.

It's obviously a daunting task for Michigan's offense, especially when you consider that it has a freshman at quarterback. But after its 45-20 win over Maryland on Saturday, Klatt is continuing to buy stock in Bryce Underwood.

"That game against Maryland was a more consistent performance from Bryce Underwood, where he played at times elite, at times just very consistent, but it stayed there," Klatt said. "Underwood was 16-of-23 for 215 and two touchdowns. They're never going to ask him to be a guy that throws for 450 yards because they want to run the football and they did that with [Bryson] Kuzdal and some of their other running backs."

But beyond Underwood, Klatt has liked what he's seen out of Michigan's offense as of late, as multiple members of the unit have needed to step up since running back Justice Haynes was sidelined for the season with a foot injury.

"All of a sudden, this offense starts to get cranked up," Klatt said. "They were really efficient running the football. They were really good throwing the football. Andrew Marsh has become a real No. 1 on the outside as a true freshman. I thought Underwood played one of his better games. Even the game against Northwestern, as big as those mistakes were against Northwestern in the fourth quarter, and they were massive and they almost cost them the game, he still at times played the best football he had played in college."

As Marsh has stepped up at wide receiver, Kuzdal was the latest running back to thrive for Michigan. He rushed for 100 yards on 5 yards per carry and three touchdowns against Maryland on Saturday, filling in for an injured Jordan Marshall.

Michigan head coach Sherrone Moore said after the game that Marshall likely could've played. But there's another injury concern that Klatt believes could be massive for the Wolverines, as tight end Max Bredeson was seen using crutches after getting hurt on Saturday.

"Max Bredesonn is a massive key to that offense. When you watch Michigan's offense, you follow No. 44, the ball usually arrives where No. 44 is at," Klatt said. "He's a threat as a blocker — not many guys you can say that about — and he's a huge key to their offense and someone that they'll miss if he's not on the field when they take on Ohio State next week."

Ohio State isn't fully healthy either, though. The Buckeyes' top two wide receivers, Jeremiah Smith and Carnell Tate, both missed Saturday's win over Rutgers. As a result, Ohio State wasn't great on offense to start that game.

Still, Ohio State was able to eventually roll to a 42-9 victory as Heisman candidate Julian Sayin completed 13 of 19 passes for 157 yards and two touchdowns in the win.

With Ohio State looking every bit the part of a team that's seeking to win back-to-back titles at this point, winning Saturday's game over Michigan might come down to what the Buckeyes do, as opposed to what the Wolverines do. That's why Klatt believes Day's message and mindset for Ohio State are crucial ahead of Saturday's game.

"In past years, you've heard a lot about physicality, [the] run game, matching and things of that nature and not what he said [on Saturday], which is 'we're going to focus on ourselves and be ourselves,'" Klatt said. "That vision he spoke was the exact vision that won them the national championship a year ago. After they lost to Michigan, they focused on themselves — what are we and what do we do best?

So, for Ohio State, they're going to be saying to themselves, ‘Focus on us. Focus on us. Focus on us.’"

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