When Urban Meyer took over as the head coach at Ohio State, he made it clear that his program competed against Michigan in "everything we do," encompassing recruiting and practice to that last Saturday in November.
That competition stretches beyond the Woody Hayes Athletic Center and into every facet of the athletic program. Every Ohio State team starts its year with the goal of beating Michigan.
The 2019-20 athletic season was a good one for the Buckeyes.
Ryan Day's tenure as the head coach of the football team got off to a roaring start, Chris Holtmann welcomed Michigan head coach Juwan Howard back to the rivalry with two Ls and baseball and tennis teams found success too.
Here's a look back at some of the Buckeyes' best 2019-20 wins over the Wolverines.
Ohio State Men's Tennis 4, Michigan 2
The Buckeyes men's tennis team put together a terrific season last year, which culminated in an in-season No. 1 ranking nationally, a Big Ten championship and a run to the quarterfinals in the NCAA tournament.
They claimed that Big Ten title after beating the Wolverines 4-2 in the conference semifinal.
The 22nd ranked Wolverines, ranked No. 22 nationally, took a surprising 1-0 lead after the Buckeyes dropped the doubles point. The situation turned worse when Ohio State's No. 1 JJ Wolf, ranked No. 1 nationally, fell to No. 109 Andrew Fenty.
That put pressure on the rest of the team, but Hunter Tubert, Martin Joyce and Kyle Seelig helped the Buckeyes rally to the win.
Ohio State Men's Basketball 77, Michigan 63
The rival basketball programs had very similar seasons as both started hot, faded in the middle and then surged down the stretch.
That's why the matchup between Ohio State and Michigan was so important on March 1. Both teams were looking to validate their resurgence against a ranked opponent.
The Buckeyes had control of the game in the first half with an eight-point lead, but the Wolverines chipped away to make it a 32-29 affair at halftime. Howard's squad came out hot in the second half and took a four-point lead before Ohio State battled back to trade blows with Michigan.
It was knotted up at 54 with seven minutes to play when the Buckeyes went on their decisive run. Ohio State outscored Michigan 14-4 over the following four-and-a-half minutes to seal the win.
Ohio State Baseball 2, Michigan 1
Ohio State's stunned Michigan in the Big Ten tournament with a dominant pitching performance and an eighth-inning rally.
The Buckeyes were the No. 7 seed when they went up against the favored 2 seed. Ohio State's pitching team combined to allow just one hit, but the Wolverines still held a 1-0 lead going into the eighth.
That's when the Buckeyes offense woke up, and Dillon Dingler put his team up for good when he poked a single between first and second base to drive the winning run home.
8 | Captain Clutch!!@dillondingler17 RBI single! The boys grab the lead!
— Ohio State Baseball (@OhioStateBASE) May 22, 2019
2, TTUN 1 | #GoBucks pic.twitter.com/KosmgJn1RH
Ohio State Men's Basketball 61, Michigan 58
The Buckeye Basketball matchup against the Wolverines in Ann Arbor was nearly as physical as the football game that was played there three months earlier.
Kaleb Wesson bullied his way to a solid game, scoring 23 points while hauling in 12 rebounds. The Buckeyes needed every bit of it as the game was played in a one-possession bubble for almost the entirety of the second half.
The back-and-forth nature came down to the free-throw line in the final minute. A wild play between Zavier Simpson and Kyle Young sent both to the free throw line, where each made both attempts. Ohio State led by one when C.J. Walker was fouled and sent to the free throw line, where he drained both to put the Buckeyes up by three. Eli Brooks had a look for three with five seconds left but missed.
Ohio State Football 56, Michigan 27
2019 was supposed to be Jim Harbaugh's (and Michigan's) year.
The Buckeyes were replacing their hall-of-fame head coach with a first-year head coach. They also had to find a new quarterback after Dwayne Haskins rewrote every school and conference passing record the previous year. And on top of that, the game was scheduled to take place in Ann Arbor against a Wolverines team led by multi-year senior starter Shea Patterson.
But it was decidedly not Harbaugh's year. Day and the Buckeyes marched into Michigan Stadium and dominated from start to finish, piling up 577 yards of total offense on Don Brown's defense. Justin Fields was red hot and threw four touchdowns as Ohio State hit pay dirt on six of its first seven drives. Dobbins was sensational as well, running the ball 31 times for 211 yards and four touchdowns.
