Storm vs. Smelser: Why Michigan will win Saturday

When Peter Smelser presented the idea of writing columns about the Ohio State-Michigan game this Saturday, I was stoked. I asked what we’d write about and how long. Smooth responded by saying we’d each write around 200 words, and I would (obviously) be defending Michigan.

So I thought for a minute and realized that the reason Michigan will win The Game, and thus their 43rd Big Ten Championship, boils down to one word: Hart.

As in, Mike Hart.

There are so many reasons the probable Heisman favorite (if he didn’t miss three games due to injury) would want to win: Win one for Lloyd Carr, who is probably coaching his final game as a Wolverine; win one for the seniors, who have not beaten Ohio State in their career; and win one for the naysayers who wrote off the Wolverines after their embarrassing opening losses to Appalachian State (two-time defending sub-division champions) and Oregon (arguably the best team in the nation).

No matter what happens, Hart will retire as Michigan’s all-time leading rusher and will finish the season as at least the No. 5 all-time Big Ten rusher, probably No. 3 or 4.

But all that will be for naught if they don’t beat the Buckeyes this weekend. And Hart knows that.

“How can I go down as one of the best running backs in Michigan history if I haven't beaten Ohio State? You just can't do that,” Hart said in August. “You have to beat Ohio State, you have to win a bowl game. The whole offseason, that's what we pushed for.”

Ohio State should be ready for a Hart attack.

Check out Peter's perspective on the Ohio State-Michigan rivalry at his blog, For Pete's Sake.