Ohio State still haunted by 'sickening, bad' Michigan loss

Ohio State fans know it all too well. The Buckeyes were riding an 8-game winning streak against Michigan heading into the final week of the 2021 season.

The Buckeyes sat at No. 2 in the country and were well on their way to another College Football Playoff berth with a win. Instead, the Wolverines snapped the streak with a commanding 42-27 win at the Big House.

“It didn’t feel real,” receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba said at B1G media days, via Mlive. “We always thought we were just going to go to the playoffs. We were just so sure of it.”

Smith-Njigba had a solid game against the Wolverine, too. He caught 11 passes in total for 127 yards, most of either team by a considerable margin. He described the loss as “Sickening, bad.”

Ohio State went on to defeat Utah in the Rose Bowl, finishing 11-2. Is it weird to call that bittersweet?

“Maybe at some places 11-2 with a Rose Bowl victory is a good year,” head coach Ryan Day said. “It isn’t at Ohio State.”