The Ohio State Buckeyes and Michigan Wolverines face each other in their massive annual rivalry on Saturday. Both sides are undefeated heading into the contest with a reservation to the College Football Playoffs at stake.
Traditionally, the governors of Ohio and Michigan make a friendly wager on the big game between the state’s flagship public universities.
Both governors won sweeping re-elections in Nov. 6th’s midterm elections. It would stand to reason another wager would be placed on the game featuring two top-five teams.
However, both offices announced on Thanksgiving that the traditional bet would not be made this year, according to the Detroit Free Press.
In 2021, Michigan Democratic governor Gretchen Whitmer won an “assortment of Ohio-made sweets, including cream puffs, black raspberry chip ice cream, chocolate-covered pretzels, and buckeye candies” from Ohio Republican governor Mike DeWine after Michigan defeated Ohio State for the first time in a decade.
Whitmer risked a “gift package of famous Michigan-made cherry sweet and treats from Cherry Republic in Glen Arbor” in that wager. In 2019, Governor Whitmer bet “a box of goodies from Zingerman’s in Ann Arbor.”
Michigan at Ohio State kicks off at 12 p.m. ET on Fox. The Buckeyes are eight-point favorites entering the game.
