Should Michigan vs Ohio State always be played the last week of regular season?

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The football tilt of Michigan versus Ohio State is one of the best rivalries in sports. The two squads face each other at noon on the last week of the regular season each year, but will that always be the case moving forward?

The college football landscape is changing, and the continued expansion of the playoffs is inevitable and traction for a 24-team playoff field. Will conference championship games be a thing of the past if the playoffs expand to 24 teams, or will they remain? These are the kinds of questions being asked behind the scenes that are yet to be decided but must ultimately be addressed.

The Army-Navy game, also one of the best rivalries in sports, is usually played the week after conference championship games. However, Army head coach Jeff Monken believes it should move up to Thanksgiving week. Monken’s suggestion is to give Army and Navy a better chance at making the playoffs.

While it hasn’t happened yet, there’s a chance that Michigan and Ohio State could play in back-to-back weeks if they both make the Big Ten Championship Game under its current format, which puts the top two conference records in the championship game. There’s even a chance someday that Michigan and Ohio State could play three weeks in a row — the last game of the regular season, the Big Ten Championship Game, and in the playoffs.

With these factors in mind, should Michigan and Ohio State always be played the last week of the regular season?

While Michigan and Ohio State will always be important and a heated game, the fact is that it means a little less than it used to with the playoffs expanding. Michigan beat Ohio State 13-10 in 2024, but with the playoffs expanded to 12 teams, OSU was still able to make the playoffs despite not even appearing in the Big Ten Championship Game. The Buckeyes would go on to win the national championship.

While some purists and traditionalists are bound to say that Michigan and Ohio State should always be played at noon on the last Saturday of the regular season, it sure would be nice to have a night game in Ann Arbor when it’s still warm out. Would the environment be any less electric if the game were at the end of September or early October? Or would the crowd be even louder? There are bound to be strong opinions on this topic.

How did you vote this week? Let us know in the comments, and come back later in the week when we reveal the results.

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