Ohio State’s fourth-straight loss to Michigan just got even more painful

Saturday was not a very good day for the Ohio State Buckeyes.

Ryan Day has dominated the Big Ten in his tenure as Buckeyes head coach, but one team has been a thorn in his side — the Michigan Wolverines, their most-hated rival. Day has now lost four straight meetings with Michigan and four of five overall. The Wolverines outlasted Ohio State 13-10 on Saturday in what is easily the biggest upset of rivalry weekend, even if we all should've seen it coming.

Michigan was a three-TD underdog in this game, but Ohio State's typically explosive offense ran into a brick wall against Sherrone Moore's defense. The Wolverines completed 62 total yards of passing offense, but that was enough to unseat an Ohio State team that seemed almost determined to lose this game on the ground.

Ohio State has the most talented WR room in the country, but Chip Kelly opted to lean heavily on an ineffective run game instead of airing it out. The Buckeyes managed 77 yards of rushing, with star RB Quinshon Judkins held to 46 yards on 12 carries.

That signals an inherent lack of faith in quarterback Will Howard, who completed 19-of-33 passes for 175 yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions in his worst performance of the season.

The Buckeyes turned to Howard in the transfer portal after a disappointing 2023 campaign. For the most part, it has been a positive experience. Howard entered Saturday's game leading the Big Ten in completion percentage (74.0) and passing touchdowns (26). That said, he will forever be remembered for this Michigan stinker.

And, as if it couldn't get any worse, the man Howard replaced — now-Syracuse QB Kyle McCord — went off in his rivalry weekend affair.

For more Rivalry Week content, check out FanSided’s Ultimate Guide to College Football Rivalries, an in-depth and interactive look at the deep traditions, rich history, iconic venues and memorable moments of college football’s biggest rivalries.

Kyle McCord leads Syracuse to upset win over Miami as Ohio State's offense stalls

Syracuse hosted Miami (FL) in a mostly un-hyped ACC matchup in the final week of the season. The Orange made sure folks will remember it, though, handing sixth-ranked Miami its second loss of the season and complicating the ACC postseason picture.

The star for Syracuse was, naturally, McCord, who completed 36-of-46 passes for 380 yards and three scores. He was responsible for more offense than the entire Ohio State roster — all while leading his team to a win over a top-10 opponent.

At 9-3, this has been an overwhelmingly positive season for an ascendant Syracuse team. McCord has been at the heart of that improvement, leading the ACC in completions (341) and passing yards (3,946) ahead of Saturday's W. It hasn't been a perfect season for McCord, who still deals with turnover problems, but he's clearly capable of some explosive performances. The Buckeyes could've used an explosive performance against Michigan.

Ohio State's issues went well beyond the QB position on Saturday, but it's hard not to look at McCord's success out of Ryan Day's orbit and wonder if the Buckeyes made the wrong cut after last season's underwhelming finish.

The Miami defense has been coughing up yards all season, so McCord is the beneficiary of favorable competition, but it's hard to deny a clutch performance and a top-10 victory. Michigan was a six-win team entering Ohio Stadium. There's no excuse for the Buckeyes' latest letdown.