No. 1 Ohio State cruises past No. 15 Michigan to snap losing skid in rivalry, clinch Big Ten title game berth

Concerns about Ohio State's physicality should be far in the past, but if there were any remaining detractors, Ryan Day and his squad certainly silenced them Saturday afternoon. The Buckeyes asserted their will on both sides of the ball after their shaky start. 

Quarterback Julian Sayin and Ohio State's passing attack stole the headlines, but the Buckeye offensive line did the yeoman's work. Michigan went the entire game without a sack and the Wolverines managed just one pressure, which meant that Sayin had a clean pocket to operate with a majority of the time. 

Ohio State's line also made plenty of holes in the run game. Running back Bo Jackson carried the ball 22 times for 117 yards while averaging a brisk 5.3 yards per carry. The Buckeyes had 110 of their 186 yards rushing in the second half as they wore Michigan down. 

On the other side of the ball, Ohio State held Michigan to just 100 yards rushing -- its worst performance on the ground of the season. That kind of dominance along the line of scrimmage could carry Ohio State far in the postseason.  

The Buckeyes are not just beating opponents, they're pulverizing them.

Ohio State has now won 11 straight games by double digits. Its only single-digit win was the season opener against Texas, which shut out the Longhorns until the final 4 minutes of the game.

Hey, maybe three-loss Texas really does have an argument to make the College Football Playoffs? After all, that was a road loss and nobody, technically, played the No. 1 team tougher than the Longhorns.  

Bryce Underwood couldn't do much of anything against Ohio State, but that wasn't much fault of his own. Down after down, play after play, you wondered why offensive coordinator Chip Lindsey didn't dial up more designed run plays for the big-time quarterback.

Michigan has a tremendous quarterback and yet refuses to utilizes his strengths. He's magnificent on his feet, and could be a threat with more runs.

The Wolverines struggled on third downs, converting only 1 of 7 attempts heading into the fourth quarter because of a less-than-threatening passing attack and an offense limited by mounting injuries at running back, where Jordan Marshall missed most of the game.  

No. 1 Ohio State put a bow on its perfect regular season and snapped a four-game losing streak to No. 15 Michigan with a dominant 27-9 win Saturday. The Buckeyes also secured their first Big Ten Championship Game appearance since 2021 and their first 12-0 record since 2019, coach Ryan Day's first full season leading the program. 

It wasn't always pretty for Ohio State. Michigan opened the game with a 36-yard rush from running back Jordan Marshall and turned that into a 45-yard field goal from Dominic Zvada. The Wolverines then cashed in another field goal off of a Julian Sayin interception to take a quick 6-0 lead, which is the largest deficit Ohio State has faced all season. 

But Ohio State took over from there. Sayin dominated for the rest of the game, as he completed 19 of his 26 passes for 233 yards and three touchdowns, all of which came after his early interception. 

Ohio State's defense also stifled Michigan at every level. The Wolverines scored just three points after the first quarter and they had 39 total yards of offense in the second half. 

Michigan also possessed the ball four times in the third and fourth quarters. Three of those drives ended in punts and the other -- once the game was well out of hand -- ended with a Bryce Underwood interception thrown to Ohio State cornerback Davison Igbinosun. 

Next up for Ohio State is a meeting with No. 2 Indiana in the Big Ten Championship Game. Michigan, which fell to 9-3 and out of the playoff race, will learn its postseason fate when the bowl selection process plays out. 

• Ohio State has now won its last 16 games in a row following last season's loss to Michigan, including a national title. 
• This was Michigan's first loss at home this season. The Wolverines were previously 5-0. 
• Ryan Day has an 82-10 record as Ohio State's coach, which is the best record by a coach in the AP Poll era (minimum of 50 games)

Late 4Q: No. 1 Ohio State 27, No. 15 Michigan 9 

In fitting fashion, Ohio State's defense just put a bow on this one. Michigan went for it on fourth-and-5 with 2:33 left on the clock and quarterback Bryce Underwood's pass sailed into the hands of Buckeye cornerback Davison Igbinosun. Now Ohio State just needs to run the clock out, though it will need a first down to completely seal things. 

Mid 4Q: Ohio State 27, Michigan 9

Ohio State just sent a statement to Michigan with an insane 20-play drive that spanned 11 minutes, 56 seconds. The 81-yard drive ended with a field goal to extend the lead to 27-9.

This Ohio State team can finesse you and pulverize you in the trenches. 

End 3Q: Ohio State 24, Michigan 9

Ohio State is in full control here heading into the fourth quarter. The Buckeyes have 341 yards to Michigan's 164. Julian Sayin has thrown for 224 yards, completing 18 of 24 passes for three touchdowns with one Interception.

Michigan running back Jordan Marshall returned to the field late in the third quarter, but the Wolverines couldn't do much. Marshall was pulled with an apparent Injury after two possessions in the first half.

Ohio State still has the ball near midfield when the fourth quarter clock rolls.

Ohio State has doubled up Michigan in yardage and has a 24-9 lead as the snow falls here in Ann Arbor. The Buckeyes are starting to play some bully ball up front, running the ball between the tackles and melting the clock here late in the third quarter.

Mid 3Q: Ohio State 24, Michigan 9

Julian Sayin threw yet another beautiful pass, this one a 50-yarder to Carnell Tate, who went outside, then cut inside across the field to get wide open down the middle of the field. 

If Ohio State is hitting on throws like that as the snowfall picks up in Ann Arbor, this 15-point deficit might just be too much to overcome for Michigan's run-heavy offense.

Halftime: Ohio State 17, Michigan 9

Ohio State has piled up 221 yards to Michigan's 124 but, more importantly, has a 17-9 lead at halftime inside the Big House.

A light snow shower moved into Ann Arbor midway through the first quarter but it hasn't affected play. 

Julian Sayin completed 13 of 17 passes for 145 yards and two touchdowns with one interception. The pick led to a Michigan field goal. The Wolverines grabbed an early 6-0 lead but the Buckeyes have out-scored them 17-3 since early in the first quarter.

Michigan has managed to pick up 108 rushing yards against the nation's third-best rush defense (80 per game), with Jordan Marshall leading the way with 61 yards on four carries. There's no doubt the Wolverines have lost some power with Marshall now injured on the sideline. Michigan rushed for only 33 yards in the second quarter.

The difference between extending drives and settling for field goals is third down. Michigan is 1 of 5 on third down conversions; Ohio State is 5 of 7.

Late 2Q: Ohio State 17, Michigan 9

Brandon Inniss caught a 4-yard slant on third down to score with 16 seconds remaining before halftime. It capped an 11-play, 87-yard drive with two third-down conversions (both Inniss catches).

The drive was highlighted by a 25-yard pass to Will Kacmarek down the middle and a 16-yard run by Bo Jackson.

Late 2Q: Ohio State 10, Michigan 9

The running game is working for Michigan, but third downs remain an issue (1 of 5 on conversions). Michigan's Dominic Zvada drilled a 49-yard field goal to cut the lead to 10-9 with 5:24 remaining. The kick capped an 11-play, 54-yard drive over 6 minutes, 17 seconds.

Michigan has racked up 108 rushing yards.

Early 2Q: Ohio State 10, Michigan 6

Ohio State came up big on fourth-and-5. Julian Sayin threw a beautiful high-arcing pass to Jeremiah Smith for a 35-yard touchdown with 11:44 remaining In the second quarter. Smith bobbled the ball as he approached the goal line, leading to a review by the Big Ten's replay center. The play was upheld for a touchdown.

End 1Q: Michigan 6, Ohio State 3

We're now even in yardage at 85 yards. The Buckeyes will have a second down on Michigan's side of the field when the second quarter begins.

The first quarter featured a big run to open the game by Michigan, and then a rare Interception thrown by Ohio State's Julian Sayin, which Michigan turned into another field goal.

Michigan's defense stood tall inside the 5-yard line, too, on four successive plays to limit Ohio State to a chip-shot field goal.

Oh, and we even had a player headbutt an official (scroll down for the video). The Game has lived up to the hype so far.

Late 1Q: Michigan 6, Ohio State 3

Michigan gave Ohio State a first down at the 2-yard line after Jaishawn Barham's unsportsmanlike penalty for headbutting, but the Wolverines' defense stood tall after the mistake and held the Buckeyes to a chip-shot field goal.

Bo Jackson led the drive with a 23-yard catch and an incredible 36-yard run where he duped a defender outside on the right in pursuit.

Michigan linebacker Jaishawn Barham headbutted an official and was charged with unsportsmanlike conduct after the Wolverines' defense forced a third-and-goal at the 4-yard line. He was not ejected.

Early 1Q: Michigan 6, Ohio State 0

Michigan turned Julian Sayin's pick into three points to take a 6-0 lead on Dominic Zvada's 25-yard field goal with 9:42 remaining in the first quarter.

This 6-0 deficit is the largest margin Ohio State has trailed all season.

Julian Sayin stared down a receiver along the left side and was intercepted by Jyaire Hill on second-and-10. Michigan has the ball at Ohio State's 38-yard line. Can the Wolverines go up two scores early In this one?

Early 1Q: Michigan 3, Ohio State

Michigan got a big spark with Jordan Marshall's 38-yard run to open the game, but the Wolverines stalled and kicked a 45-yard field goal to take an early 3-0 lead.

You don't see explosive plays often against this Buckeyes defense, which allows only 80 rushing yards per game (and 206.6 yards total).

Ohio State star receivers Jeremiah Smith and Carnell Tate are moving around well in pregame warmups. Both missed the Buckeyes' game last week and were listed as questionable heading into today.

It hasn't been easy picking this game, and last season's result certainly provides a pause whenever assuming the Buckeyes could win by more than one touchdown, even on the road inside Michigan Stadium. The numbers show us that this Ohio State defense is even better than last season's, and though Michigan's offense has found some success of late, this defense is built differently, allowing barely over 200 yards. Don't touch the spread.  Pick: Ohio State SU

Check out our experts' picks straight up and against the spread

Ninety-nine years ago — back when Woody Hayes was just a teenager and Bo Schembechler was but a glint in his father's eye — Michigan pulled off something it hasn't managed since: five straight wins over Ohio State.

Michigan can rewrite century of history with another win over Ohio State -- and probably make CFP field

Brandon Marcello

Nearly a century later, the No. 15 Wolverines (9-2) are staring at the same possibility. Bragging rights, playoff spots and history are on the line today Inside The Big House.