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Matt Barrie, Dan Mullen dissect the Ohio State-Michigan rivalry, call it the greatest in CFB
By Keith Farner
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Matt Barrie and Dan Mullen took some time this week to break down the state of the rivalry over The Game.
Mullen, the former Florida and Mississippi State coach, said Ohio State must fight the psychological barrier that comes with the 2-game losing streak in the series.
“The first time something goes bad, Ryan Day better make sure that sideline’s not looking at each other, saying, ‘Uh oh, here we go again, do they actually have our number,” Mullen said.
Barrie believes it’s the greatest rivalry in college football because Alabama-Auburn is more of a state rivalry, and this one features legendary players who are natives of each state, but plays for the rival school.
“Players who have chips on their shoulders because the other one didn’t recruit them, and there’s always the Big Ten Championship at stake,” Barrie said. “Back in the day, it was all about the Rose Bowl. … To me, it’s the best in the sport, and I don’t think it’s close.”
Added Mullen, “Every year, it’s been a meaningful game. … You have a hard time finding many games where championship implications were not on the line every single time they played that game.”
Keith Farner has written about college football for newspapers and web sites since 2005.