It’s been almost twenty years since former Ohio State Heisman-winning running back Eddie George filled out a scarlet and gray uniform. But make no mistake, he still bleeds scarlet and gray and will always be a Buckeye.
He recently sat down with Shannon Sharpe on the weekly “Shay Shay podcast” to reminisce about his playing days both in college and the pros, and the Ohio State vs. Michigan rivalry became a part of the conversation.
Buy Buckeyes TicketsGeorge pulled no punches and called The Game the “greatest rivalry in sports,” even better than Yankees vs. Red Sox. He was asked by Sharpe what makes it special and if he knew about it before he even played against Michigan.
“Oh yeah, I studied college football,” George replied. “I knew about that rivalry. That’s the greatest rivalry in all of sports. You could say Yankees and Red Sox, You could say Duke-North Carolina, Alabama–Auburn, USC-UCLA, but that one there (Ohio State-Michigan) — completely different ballgame. Bo and Woody, and it even goes back to how the business schools were all set up. That is a vicious rivalry.”
George even compared the games between Ohio State and Michigan to any that he played in while in the NFL, with the only matchup holding a candle to OSU vs. Michigan being Tennessee vs. Baltimore. Still, he reminded everyone that the Buckeyes didn’t necessarily have the upper hand when he was toting the mail in Columbus.
“I’m so honored that I was able to play in it and be a central figure in that,” continued George. “When I played at Ohio State, we beat Michigan one time. That’s the time that they owned us, we couldn’t figure out a way to beat them … that’s what that rivalry’s about.”
.@EddieGeorge2727 says Michigan vs. Ohio State is a greater rivalry than Yankees-Red Sox 👀
RT for Michigan vs. Ohio State
LIKE for Yankees vs. Red Sox pic.twitter.com/obojJlE8pw— Club Shay Shay (@ClubShayShay) February 9, 2023
Ohio State and Michigan fans know it. You see all of these opinions and polls asking what the greatest rivalry in sports is, and the recurring theme always has some scarlet and gray and maize and blue involved.
Eat your heart out Yankees and Red Sox fans.
