Warde Manuel comments on Michigan football playing Ohio State in back-to-back weeks

With the addition of USC and UCLA in 2024, the Big Ten conference is about to undergo numerous significant changes in the years to come. For Michigan football, this means that playing Ohio State in back-to-back weeks, in Week 13 and for the Big Ten title, is now a possibility. Recently, Warde Manuel, the athletic director of the University of Michigan, discussed his reaction to this potential scenario on the ‘In The Trenches‘ podcast, powered by Michigan Athletics.

Michigan football could play Ohio State two weeks in a row

With the Big Ten’s new scheduling model, there is a possibility that Michigan football and Ohio State could face each other in consecutive weekends, a scenario that has not yet occurred in their storied rivalry. For both the Wolverines and the Buckeyes, this potential rematch would be of immense significance. Defeating a team of such caliber is already a formidable task, but triumphing in a subsequent rematch the following weekend adds an extra layer of challenge.

Warde Manuel, the athletic director of Michigan, recently shared his perspective on this potential back-to-back matchup against Ohio State. According to Manuel, both teams would eagerly embrace the opportunity to compete in this monumental Big Ten title game.

“Gene [Smith] and I had some conversation about the timing of being the last game with the knowledge that we could play each other again in the conference championships,” Warde Manuel said. “My reaction is if we’re fortunate enough to do that, I look forward to playing them again a week later. That brings the excitement of college football. That potential would be exciting. We had the potential to play them in the National Championship Game last year and it didn’t work out that way.”

Although many fans on both sides are opposed to the potential rematch of ‘The Game,’ Warde Manuel is justified in his belief that the college football world would eagerly anticipate an Ohio State vs. Michigan matchup in the Big Ten title game. While this has yet to occur, considering the consistent dominance of Michigan football and Ohio State within the conference, it is inevitable that such a showdown will take place once the divisions are eliminated in 2024.

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