Preview: No. 8 Ohio State at No. 10 Michigan

Michigan, slogging through three less than superb seasons under Brady Hoke, needed to connect on its home run swing toward its next football coach hire. There was really only one name that fit the bill, a man who played quarterback for and learned the game of football under the eyes of the great Bo Schembechler: Jim Harbaugh.

"Throughout my life, I have dreamed of coaching at the University of Michigan," Harbaugh told the media Dec. 30, the day the school officially announced his hire. "Now I have the honor to live it."

Two days later, Michigan's most hated rival, Ohio State, was set to take on SEC titan Alabama in the Sugar Bowl as part of the first-ever College Football Playoff. A win would put Urban Meyer's Buckeyes in the national championship game in just his third season in Columbus.

Meyer, nestled down near New Orleans' French Quarter with an exhaustive media schedule, couldn't even escape Harbaugh's pull. When asked about him on Sugar Bowl Media Day, however, Ohio State's head coach deflected.

"I know his brother. And I actually met his father at the Super Bowl," Meyer said. "Very good football family."

Meyer met Jim's brother, John, when he was the special teams coordinator at Notre Dame. John, now the head coach of the Baltimore Ravens, had his path cross Meyer's while he coached the same unit with the Philadelphia Eagles.

MICHIGAN WOLVERINES

9-2, 6-1 B1G ROSTER SCHEDULE

12:00 PM – SATURDAY, NOV. 28 MICHIGAN STADIUM ANN ARBOR, MICHIGAN

ABC/ESPN2 WATCHESPN

As far as his newest rival, however, Meyer stayed neutral.

"I don't know Jim," Meyer said. But your question about it — anytime you add a quality coach to the Big Ten or college football, obviously it's good for college football and great for the Big Ten."

Meyer can't avoid Harbaugh any longer. From awkward interactions at a recruiting camp near Detroit this summer, to Big Ten Media Days when the new Michigan coach brought a Mike Ditka jersey to his press conference, to Saturday's matchup in Ann Arbor between two teams desperate for a win, the two are finally near to putting aside all interview questions and game planning in favor of football.

The Game always holds more weight than any other gridiron clash, but the 2015 version carries an added spice with Harbaugh's team revitalized and set to host Meyer's defending champions.

Stories were written, signs were pointed and excitement levels rose for this clash as the season neared. Now, it all comes to a head Saturday at noon in the best rivalry the sport has to offer.

"This game stands out because it’s the rivalry game," Meyer said this week. "I think the days are done where you're saying this is the only game on the schedule. This is The Game and we have great respect for the rivalry and understand what’s at stake."

Added Harbaugh: "We are planning, making our preparations, formulating our plans. Get prepared, how to beat Ohio State, practice and learn that plan and prepare for the ballgame Saturday."

OPPONENT BREAKDOWN

Michigan enters Saturday winners of four straight and nine of its last 10. After falling in its season opener at Utah, Michigan's lone loss came against Michigan State Oct. 17, when the Spartans gathered up a fumbled punt on the final play of the game and returned it to the end zone for the winning score as time expired. An essentially unfathomable outcome considering the time, score, and setting, but a result that wielded a loss to the Wolverines nonetheless.

"You can’t let it linger," senior right guard and Ohio native Kyle Kalis said Monday. "You can’t let it beat you twice."

The Wolverines haven't, instead disposing of Minnesota, Rutgers, Indiana and Penn State since. Two of those games were decided by one possession: a double overtime thriller against the Hoosiers and a goal line stop as time expired in Minneapolis.

Michigan's current senior class is winless against the Buckeyes, but the last three seasons have hardly been blowouts.

"Our plan every week is ceaseless and intense. Never slack any," Harbaugh said. "Always continuing at the same intense, demanding or punishing level. That’s how we go week-to-week."

Harbaugh's antics are well-documented, from his sideline shenanigans to hardly ever saying anything of sustenance to the media. As a direct descendant and former player of Schembechler, though, Harbaugh understands what the rivalry means. He even went out of his way to smash a Buckeye nut on his former coach's grave late Tuesday.

"First impressions of ever seeing The Game. Just how those two uniforms looked on the field at the same time," Harbaugh said Tuesday on the Big Ten teleconference. "I don't know if its aesthetics is the right word. The sidelines to me, the maize and blue, scarlet and gray and the two helmets, the two uniforms. The sightlines are unbelievable."

Harbaugh will take his first stance on the Michigan sideline for the rivalry affair since 1986, when he famously came through on a guarantee to beat the Buckeyes in Columbus.

Now, Harbaugh turns to fifth-year senior and Iowa graduate transfer Jake Rudock to lead the Wolverines over their rivals. Rudock left Iowa City after losing his job to C.J. Beathard, who's led the Hawkeyes to a 11-0 record and No. 4 ranking in 2015.

2015 STATISTICAL COMPARISON (H/T REMY)

2015 STATS	RANK	CATEGORY	2015 STATS	RANK
34.4	36th	Points For	32.2	51st
14.1	2nd	Points Against	14.9	6th
		OFFENSE
230.4	14th	Rushing Offense	161.4	81st
193.7	100th	Passing Offense	227.7	60th
424.1	48th	Total Offense	389.1	72nd
		DEFENSE
133.7	30th	Rushing Defense	100.2	4th
164.3	5th	Pass Defense	162.9	4th
298.0	8th	Total Defense	263.1	2nd
		OFF. MISC.
.376	81st	3rd Down Conv.	.436	34th
.795	93rd	Red Zone	.935	7th
12.3	26th	Punt Return	11.4	32nd
23.4	32nd	Kickoff Return	30.7	2nd
		DEF. MISC.
.331	23rd	3rd Down Conv.	.232	2nd
.760	23rd	Red Zone	.840	64th
100.6	7th	Pass Eff. Def.	92.76	2nd
40.8	9th	Net Punting	36.2	90th
		MISC.
+ 0.1	79th	Turnover Margin	- 0.5	102nd
6.1	63rd	Penalties Per Game	6.9	88th
	Total: 9	THE EDGE	Total: 9

Rudock struggled early this season, throwing five interceptions through his team's first three games. Since, he's thrown only four, and has completed 64.4 percent of his passes on the year for 2,476 yards and 16 touchdowns.

"To be clear, Jake Rudock's the best quarterback," Harbaugh said recently. "Not by a small margin. He's our best quarterback."

Harbaugh entered his first season as head coach in Ann Arbor with a heap of uncertainty at the most important position on the field, with a junior in Shane Morris who had made two starts and thrown zero touchdown passes, a redshirt freshman and a pair of true freshmen.

"He's been a godsend for our team," Harbaugh said of Rudock, before likening him to a "two-dollar steak" due to his toughness.

Michigan's defense, though stout all season and ranked second in the country in total yards allowed per game, has looked human in recent weeks. Indiana's Jordan Howard roasted the unit for 238 rushing yards and two scores in the double overtime shootout, when the Hoosiers totaled 527 yards. Minnesota tallied 461 yards on Halloween, but through it all, it's been Rudock that's improved and led Michigan to victories.

"I've been blessed with the opportunities I've been given and I can't thank this coaching staff enough," Rudock said.

With 254 more passing yards, Rudock bumps past his head coach for fifth all-time on Michigan's passing chart. His favorite targets this season are wide receivers Amara Darboh and Jehu Chesson, in addition tight end Jake Butt. All three have at least 530 yards receiving and three touchdowns. De'Veon Smith leads the Wolverines with 621 rushing yards and three touchdowns on the ground, formidable production.

The production is solely due to a coaching transition and Harbaugh's instillment of his West Coast offense — as well as firm defensive principles — since, aside from Rudock, the majority of the roster was recruited by Brady Hoke.

"Not surprised because I think they're very good coaches, and I think — I've always, you know, I just recruit against that," Meyer said. "They are very good recruiters. The previous staff was excellent recruiters, and they are very good players up there."

The last time the Buckeyes visited Michigan Stadium, they needed a Tyvis Powell interception of Devin Gardner on a two-point conversion to ensure a one-point victory and remain unbeaten. Last year in Columbus, Ezekiel Elliott's 44-yard touchdown run on 4th-and-1 in the fourth quarter helped the Buckeyes surge ahead even though they lost J.T. Barrett to a broken ankle earlier in the quarter.

Jake Butt via mgoblog.

Tight, knuckle-whitening games, of which the Michigan players who were involved haven't forgotten.

"The past couple of years, playing against them, it’s been a good battle up and down the line," Kalis said. "It’s a game where it’s up and down, it’s going to be a tornado of ups and downs like it always is. It’s going to be a hard fought battle and I’m personally looking forward to it."

The Wolverines can score points and have a solid defense to round into a more than capable opponent. The Buckeyes will have their hands full, especially following a loss to Michigan State a week earlier.

"It’s going to be fun for both teams to get out there in the Big House," Kalis said. "It’s why you play at Michigan, it’s why they play at Ohio State — for this game. It’s going to be fun."

OHIO STATE BREAKDOWN

The Buckeyes experienced something they hadn't felt in nearly 15 months last weekend: Defeat.

"Sunday definitely wasn’t fun to come in here and not be able to laugh and talk about our victory and get victory meal," defensive end Joey Bosa said. "We have to move on. It is important for me as a leader to bring guys with me and let them know there is more to accomplish this season."

The Buckeyes — and Wolverines, for that matter — can still find a way to represent the Big Ten East in Indianapolis at the Big Ten Championship Game Dec. 5 against Iowa. Whoever wins Saturday at Michigan Stadium quickly becomes Penn State backers, as the Nittany Lions need to knock off Michigan State for either Michigan or Ohio State to move forward.

"Any time you lose a game, maybe they think they’re not playing for what they were playing for before and that’s not true; there’s a lot of football left to be played," Meyer said Tuesday.

The Buckeyes had put everything into preparing for the Michigan State game, the first time they would get truly challenged in 2015 after starting 10-0. The loss, especially the way they lost, hurt, but didn't entirely extinguish their chance at back-to-back Big Ten titles.

If it wants to have a prayer at that happening, though, Ohio State must recover quickly and bounce back for the rivalry game. If it doesn't, it risks getting embarrassed again.

"That's one of those things that helps you refocus," Joshua Perry said about the next game being against a rival. "Like I said, that's one thing that we definitely need to do. And it also definitely helps in the evaluation process to what you really have."

Added Bosa: "I can’t see much more motivating us than playing the Team Up North. Like every year, we’re going to be motivated. We were motivated last week but something was wrong. We have to make sure we can fix it this week."

Monday, Meyer didn't mention his typical blasting of LL Cool J's "It's Time For War" around the Woody Hayes Athletic Center that accompanies Michigan week. Instead, he heeded questions about his star running back's outburst and ripping of he and his staff's play calling in the Michigan State loss.

Elliott carried the ball on 12 of Ohio State's 45 plays, yielding a meager 33 yards. The Buckeyes managed a paltry 132 yards and five first downs against the Spartans, both the lowest totals ever for a Meyer-coached team.

"Not very good," Meyer said. "I have to do better."

Meyer said he would become more involved in Ohio State's play calling moving forward, but didn't elaborate on what exactly that entailed.

Quarterbacks coach Tim Beck had assumed more duties toward the middle of the season as he became more comfortable with Meyer and offensive coordinator Ed Warinner, but the unit's regression in recent weeks is still staggering. It all culminated in a massive heap of despair against Michigan State. The Buckeyes have failed to score in the first quarter of five games this season.

"It's concerning, and it's part of the whole evaluation I'm going through right now after the season in great detail, just disappointing, and that's not our history," Meyer said. "And we've got to evaluate why and just don't have that much time to do that right now."

That's because a tough game against a solid Michigan team rests on the horizon, a final chance to show the country any sort of glimpse of the team everyone expected coming off the 2014 national championship.

"We didn't play well. So underachieving in a game, you just hate to see that. So I think that'll hopefully ignite a fire under some guys. The whole team," Taylor Decker said. "This is a huge game. Nothing would make me feel better than winning my fourth pair of gold pants. Going up there and beating them in their place. I think getting a win, and a big win at that, is the best way to bounce back and kind of show what this program is about."

HOW IT PLAYS OUT

The only other time Ohio State's lost back-to-back games under Meyer is at the end of 2013, when the Buckeyes fell to Michigan State in the Big Ten Championship Game and then against Clemson a month later in the Orange Bowl.

Meyer's lost just four times as the head coach in Columbus, but Saturday's outcome is sure to be a result of how the Buckeyes can pick themselves up after the devastating loss to the Spartans that ended their 23-game winning streak.

"We beat ourselves up, I beat myself up big time," Meyer said. "We just need to perform better."

Ohio State's 2015 senior class has the rare opportunity to go 4-0 in The Game, putting a cap on the year while also earning Meyer his fourth victory in the rivalry. Comparisons to the days of Woody Hayes and Bo Schembechler have been drawn with regards to Meyer and Harbaugh and how each coach has shown an ability to revitalize a program.

Saturday represents a potential start of something special.

"It’s definitely going to be big. I know it’s kind of the start of an era," Perry said. "It’s always big to be a part of the first of something, but we still have a mission. We still have an objective, and we have to make sure we prepare the right way so we can achieve our goal."

Ohio State's season could spin out of control with another ugly performance and loss, or blip back above water with a victory in the greatest rivalry of them all. Which way will it turn? We won't know until kickoff at noon.

ELEVEN WARRIORS STAFF PREDICTION: Ohio State 23, Michigan 21