Joel Klatt previews Ohio State vs. Michigan, what's at stake in 'The Game' in 2025

Joel Klatt previewed “The Game” between Ohio State and Michigan for the 2025 season on his list of 10 games that will shape the season. It seems like this one is always a candidate to do so. 

The Buckeyes have lost four straight to the Wolverines despite winning last year’s national championship. Michigan won it all the year prior.

Last year’s game was cinematic, considering Michigan won it to cap a 7-5 regular season and nearly ruined Ohio State’s playoff run before it started. The Buckeyes won the title of course, but there’s a lot of pent up anger and aggression waiting to be unleashed out of Columbus.

“It is the game we’re all waiting for,” Klatt said on his podcast. “Why? These are the two teams that won the last two national championships. You’ve got all of the backstory of how this game finished last year. My goodness. How many times are we going to see all of that video with Mason Graham pounding his chest? And then all of a sudden, the flags getting waved around, the Michigan flag, they’re trying to plant it on the field. And then all of a sudden, the pepper spray comes out, because there is a fight going on, like, holy cow, like we get to see this match up again. It’s going to be in the Big House.” 

Any Michigan fan would love to say that they are still in the heads of Ohio State fans based on last year’s win. Some Ohio State fans will say it doesn’t matter since they won a title. But throw all of that out the window come late November later this year. Heck, this game could determine who goes to the Big Ten Championship Game for all we know.

“A year ago, Ohio State got their national championship, but then you still have these Michigan guys that are like, ‘Yeah, well, you didn’t beat us, and we won our national championship, going 15-0,’” Klatt said. “So this year’s game … it’s going to be epic. Could Michigan, who’s got … four straight wins in this series, could they actually get the five? 

“Like, if we just think back to the COVID year, I’ll be real honest, I didn’t think Michigan was going to win for the foreseeable future. And now all of a sudden they’ve rolled off four straight. Last year you got the fighting, you got the pepper spray, you got the flags, you got The Game,  that has to go on the list.”