Why Ohio State's football program is better than Michigan's There is one sports rivalry that is known as the greatest of them all . It's not the Tobacco Road rivalry, it's not the Iron Bowl and it's not even the Red Sox vs. the Yankees. According to ESPN at the turn of the century, the greatest sports rivalry is between Ohio State and Michigan in college football. While many Wolverine fans claim that Michigan's football program is the superior one, there are a number of reasons that prove otherwise. Statistically, in the modern era of college football, Ohio State has been the better program. This can be supported through simple head-to-head records and championships, as well as complex systems that rank football programs. The main counterclaim from many Michigan fans in this debate will revolve around two things: the number of national titles claimed and the overall series record of 58-45-6 in Michigan's favor. These claims may seem valid, but upon further review the claims have little validity in today's modernized version of college football. Additionally, Michigan's program is rampant with elitism that has been destructive to other programs and has hurt their current program that is not present in Ohio State's program. It's important to look at the full history of the rivalry before making a judgment on who the better program is. Since the early 1900s, Michigan was one of the most dominant football programs in the country. With Fielding Yost's "Point-A-Minute" teams of the early 1900s, Michigan bulldozed its way to on-field dominance. They won six of the eleven national championships claimed during t...... middle of paper......m can be attributed to the arrogance of Michigan's program and their reluctance to accept an "outsider" like Rodriguez, instead of wanting a “Michigan man.” Ohio State had no problem hiring outsiders like John Cooper, but unlike Michigan, they didn't fire him due to his immediate struggles. Cooper had his pitfalls, such as a 2-10-1 record against Michigan and a 3-8 record in bowl games. But because Ohio State wasn't as short-sighted as Michigan, they gave Cooper a chance that ultimately ended in success, no matter how small. Also unlike Michigan, Ohio State's next coach was left with a very talented roster, which won a national championship just two years after Cooper's departure. So, ultimately, Michigan's insistence on having a "Michigan Man" has led to a poor state of the current football program, something that would never happen at Ohio State.