Sherrone Moore is urging Michigan supporters to make this Saturday’s game against No. 2 Ohio State the loudest of his coaching career. Michigan is ranked third.
The kind of homefield advantage that Michigan Stadium offers is not found very often in the United States. Michigan Stadium, nicknamed “The Big House” by the late great sportscaster Keith Jackson, is home to an impressive crowd of over 110,000 fans every fall Saturday, and the Wolverines are formidable opponents inside their own stadium. In fact, Michigan has triumphed in Michigan Stadium 21 times in a row, and they plan to make it 22 on Saturday.
Acting head coach Sherrone Moore is aware that the Wolverines will need to rally the entire Big House behind them when the Buckeyes visit town on Saturday, as head coach Jim Harbaugh is serving the third game of a three-game suspension.
Moore wrote on Wednesday, “The Big House needs to be the loudest it has ever been.”
The importance of this Saturday’s rivalry game between Michigan and Ohio State cannot be overstated. While the loser will likely watch the conference championship game from home and be eliminated from the playoffs entirely, the winner of The Game is likely to win the Big Ten Championship as well and be one of the final four teams in the College Football Playoff.
The Game this year is especially noteworthy because it’s the final time this rivalry matchup will be this important. Since the Big Ten will not have divisions for the upcoming season, Michigan and Ohio State might play in the conference championship game regardless of what happens in the last week of the regular season. Next season, the College Football Playoff will include twelve teams instead of just four, so Michigan and Ohio State will probably both be considered for the playoffs no matter what happens in The Game.