On3 Roundtable: Michigan enters rare air in Ohio State rivalry in 2023

After two victories for Michigan, the expectations for Jim Harbaugh‘s Wolverines are changing when they face the Ohio State Buckeyes.

In the latest edition of On3 Roundtable, On3’s Andy Staples and The Wolverine’s Chris Balas came together to speak on how Michigan is entering a new era as it pertains to their biggest rivalry showdown. After many seasons of being thwarted by the Buckeyes, the standard has changed in Ann Arbor.

“It feels very different,” Staples said. “Michigan, not thinking about, ‘How in the world do we beat Ohio State,’ but, ‘How do we win a national title?’ That’s a big jump. We’ll see if they can make it.”

Staples is right, the jump from simply beating the Buckeyes to defeating them on the way to a national title is a big one, and Balas is interested in seeing if Michigan can make it.

“Yeah, we will. And you know what, it’s rare air. Right now, they’re going to be favored against Ohio State probably, so we’ll see how they handle it,” added Balas.

However, the Michigan reporter isn’t worried about the Wolverine’s mettle. According to Balas, Michigan has some fantastic leadership on their squad, and it’ll come in handy when it’s time to put up or shut up.

“But I get a sense with this team, this group of leaders, there’s about seven or eight guys on this team who could be captains. That they’re pretty focused,” Balas said. “You kind of felt Ohio State choke a little bit under the pressure, I thought. So it’ll be interesting to see what happens when they’re facing three defeats in a row coming to Ann Arbor this year.”

Just a couple of seasons ago, it was unfathomable that Michigan could dominate Ohio State in the way they have over the past two seasons. While both teams made it to the College Football Playoff and lost last season, you can bet the loss to the Wolverines is eating Ryan Day and the Buckeyes alive at the moment.

As they look for their third consecutive victory over Ohio State, Michigan will also have their eyes on a national title, the last thing eluding Jim Harbaugh in Ann Arbor. 2023 may be his best chance yet, and Michigan will be a popular pick to win it all next season.

It remains to be seen if they can make good on their potential, but Michigan versus Ohio State will once again be one of the highest anticipated games on the year, and we can’t wait to see it.