Rivalry week has arrived for the 2025 college football season, and the Week 14 slate is filled with matchups that will heavily impact the College Football Playoff race. One of the most compelling games, as always, is “The Game” between No. 1 Ohio State and No. 18 Michigan.
The Wolverines have beaten the Buckeyes four straight years, but the odds are stacked against them this season, as Ohio State has looked dominant. With the showdown approaching, Michigan head coach Sherrone Moore shared a two-word message about what it will take to beat the Buckeyes on Saturday.
Sherrone Moore Delivers Brief Message Ahead of Ohio State Clash
In 2021, Michigan shocked the college football world by taking down Ohio State for the first time since 2011, ending a decade of Buckeye dominance in the rivalry. Since then, the Wolverines have won three straight matchups, including a surprising upset last season when they were unranked, and Ohio State entered the game at No. 2.
On Saturday, the Wolverines will need to recapture some of that 2024 magic, as they enter the game as heavy underdogs once again. Moore handed the Buckeyes a loss in his first season as Michigan’s head coach last year, but he knows his team faces an uphill battle to do it again this season.
When asked what he had done on Monday to help his team prepare for the 2025 edition of “The Game,” Moore offered a two-word response, saying, “A lot.”
“A lot”
Sherrone Moore when asked what he has done today to beat Ohio State on Saturday ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/zcHzmJDbqU
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) November 24, 2025
Moore and the Wolverines are going to have to do “a lot” every day leading up to their game against Ohio State, as the Buckeyes are playing as good a brand of football as any team in the country right now.
Ohio State has been dominant in every phase this season. The Buckeyes’ offense ranks second in the country through 11 games, according to PFSN’s CFB OFFi metric, and their defense holds the same ranking in PFSN’s CFB DEFi metric.
They also boast one of the nation’s top quarterbacks, with Julian Sayin grading third among all college passers in PFSN’s CFB QBi metric. Their receiving corps is elite as well, with both Carnell Tate and Jeremiah Smith ranking inside the top 10 of PFSN’s CFB WRi metric.
The entire Ohio State roster is loaded with talent, creating a significant challenge for a Michigan team that ranks 22nd in offense this season in PFSN’s CFB OFFi metric and 20th in defense in PFSN’s CFB DEFi metric.
The Wolverines have seemed to have Ohio State head coach Ryan Day’s number in this rivalry, but something about Saturday’s game feels different from previous years, and Moore likely knows it.
It’s not out of the realm of possibility for Michigan to beat Ohio State. Still, it will take a lot of work to make it happen, and Moore is doing everything he can to have his players ready for the epic rivalry showdown.
Michigan fans will find out if their team’s preparation paid off soon enough as “The Game” kicks off Saturday, Nov. 29, at noon ET, with coverage on Fox.
