Sports

Biggest upsets in Michigan-Ohio State rivalry in the 21st century

GBMWolverine · Jul 22, 2026 13:25 · 5 min read

Biggest upsets in Michigan-Ohio State rivalry in the 21st Century — Ohio State Buckeyes head coach Ryan Day shakes hands with Michigan Wolverines head coach Jim Harbaugh following the NCAA football game at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor on Saturday, Nov. 27, 2021. Michigan won 42-27. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

There have been some massive upsets in the Michigan-Ohio State rivalry including four teams that won as a touchdown underdog in the 21st century.

There is no rivalry like Michigan and Ohio State.

Sure, there are other heated rivalries in sports, but the hatred and the magnitude of the games played between the Wolverines and Buckeyes are unmatched.

Maybe that will change in this new era of college football. We probably won't see games as important in this series like the ones we saw in 2021, 2022, and 2023. Those winner-take-all games, where it felt like the winner could win the national title, are probably over. Other examples are 1997, 2003, 2006, 2016, and 2018.

The temperature isn't going to cool down any, though. Beating Ohio State is still the No. 1 goal for Michigan football, or it should be. If the Wolverines can do that, any other goal is possible.

As Jim Harbaugh famously said, "We are going to beat Ohio or die trying."

Harbaugh won his last three games against the Buckeyes, including two as more than a touchdown underdog. Looking back at the every addition of "The Game" since the turn of the century, here are the five biggest upsets between Michigan and Ohio State.

2018: Ohio State wins as 4.5 point underdog

Michigan football had won 10 games in a row before the showdown with Ohio State in what would be Urban Meyer's final home game.

The Wolverines thought they would be able to bully the Buckeyes, who just allowed Maryland to run all over them the week prior, before pulling out an overtime win. That win meant this edition of the game was for the Big Ten East title, just like in 2016.

JT Barrett may have been short in the game, but in 2018, the Buckeyes left no doubt in a 62-39 victory in what was easily one of the darkest days of the Jim Harbaugh era.

Looking back, it was crazy for Michigan to enter The Shoe was a 4.5-point favorite. The Wolverines walked into a buzzsaw.

2021: Michigan ends the streak as a 6.5 point home dog

Just months after Harbaugh said Michigan would "Beat Ohio or die trying," the Wolverines did just that, vanquishing their rival with a 42-27 win at the Big House.

Hassan Haskins ran all over the Buckeyes. Ohio State fans can blame the signs. If you watch the game, though, it was clear that Michigan was actually blocking and tackling. Haskins scored five touchdowns. Michigan scored at will in the second half, while Aidan Hutchinson registered three sacks. David Ojabo had one, too.

CJ Stroud can complain all he wants. The dude threw for 743 yards in two games against Michigan. He wasn't the problem. The problem was that Ohio State couldn't run the ball, stop the run, or protect their quarterback. That's why they lost.

2001: Jim Tressel debuts with an upset win as a 7.5-point underdog

From 1995 to 2000, Michigan football won five out of the six games against Ohio State. The Wolverines won in Columbus in 1996 and 2000, as well as wins in Ann Arbor in 1995 and 1997.

Just like from 2021-2023, each loss was soul-crushing for Ohio State. The Buckeyes were undefeated and ranked No. 2 in 1995 and 1996. They were No. 4 in 1997, and had a chance to win a share of the Big Ten title in 2000, but were thwarted again by U-M.

This time around, Michigan was thwarted. The Wolverines needed a win over Ohio State in 2001 to clinch the Big Ten title. John Navarre was a sophomore. Ohio State entered as a six-win team, but after a mediocre season, the Buckeyes won as a 7.5-point underdog, building a 23-point lead in the first half, before notching a 26-20 win that shifted the rivalry.

Michigan would win "The Game" in 2003, but it would be the only win from 2001 to 2010.

2022: Michigan ends 22-year drought as a 9-point underdog

Not since Drew Henson led the Wolverines to a win over Ohio State in the year 2000 had Michigan won in Columbus.

Ohio State and its fans were frothing at the mouth, wanting revenge for the 2021 ass-kicking handed out by the Wolverines in Ann Arbor. As it turned out, this beating was even worse.

After defeating Ohio State by 15, Michigan football turned around and defeated the Buckeyes by 22 points, thanks to a pair of fourth-quarter touchdown runs by Donovan Edwards.

J.J. McCarthy accounted for four touchdowns. Two of those were TD passes to Cornelius Johnson in the first half, before a third-quarter strike to Colston Loveland gave Michigan a lead it wouldn't give back.

Michigan outscored Ohio State 28-3 in the second half. Rival fans can blame "signs" all they want, even though Ohio State admitted it changed its signs before the game, so that's not an excuse for one of the most lopsided wins in the history of the rivalry, especially for a road game.

Remember, Ohio State was ranked second, just like in 2021.

2024: Michigan shocks the world as a 19.5-point underdog

Maybe the most satisfying win on this list, at least for Michigan fans, was the 2024 upset. Ohio State went on to win the national championship, but it will forever be hilarious that the Buckeyes' latest title team couldn't even beat 6-5 Michigan.

The Wolverines also spoiled Ohio State's chance of winning the Big Ten championship, something Ryan Day still hasn't achieved since 2020, when the Big Ten had to step and change its rules so the Buckeyes could reach the title game.

For all the OSU fans that said Michigan could never beat Ohio State without the benefit of signs, the Wolverines did just that in 2024 ( and 2022 and 2023 for that matter), with a former walk-on, Davis Warren, as the starting quarterback. Colston Loveland and Donovan Edwards didn't even play.

Despite that, Michigan was the tougher team. Mason Graham and Kenneth Grant manhandled the Ohio State offensive line in a 13-10 win that was as surprising as any in the history of the Michigan-Ohio State rivalry.