College football鈥檚 top 5 matchups of Week 13
1. No. 2 Ohio State vs. No. 3 Michigan – Saturday, 12:00 p.m. ET, FOX
Ohio State and Michigan have played each other 117 times dating back to 1897 and have met annually in 鈥淭he Game鈥� since 1918. The Wolverines still have the edge over the Buckeyes with a 60-51-6 record in the series, even with Ohio State winning 15 of 16 matchups from 2004-19. However, Jim Harbaugh and the Wolverines have beaten the Buckeyes each of the past two years to earn a trip to the Big Ten Championship game and College Football Playoff.
The same will be at stake as the top-five teams battle again in 2023 in Ann Arbor. Ohio State comes into this contest a perfect 11-0 with signature wins over Notre Dame and Penn State earlier this season. While the Buckeyes鈥� offense has been decent behind starting quarterback Kyle McCord and standout receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. 鈥� who has 1,093 yards and 13 touchdowns on the year 鈥� it鈥檚 their defense which is ranked No. 3 in the nation that has ultimately led them to a perfect start.
The Buckeyes have given up just six total points in their last two games combined, but Michigan will provide a much greater test. Like Ohio State, the Wolverines鈥� offense hasn鈥檛 necessarily been great but has remained steady behind playmakers like J.J. McCarthy and Blake Corum. However, Michigan鈥檚 defense is ranked No. 1 in the country, and prior to last week against Maryland, the Wolverines had not given up more than 15 points in a single game. That could make for a low-scoring affair on Saturday in what should be another exciting and significant chapter of this rivalry.
