Big Ten Conference analyst Craig Shemon believes that the value of the iconic Ohio State Buckeyes – Michigan Wolverines rivalry has been, and will continue to be, diminished in the future.
Citing how the Buckeyes and Wolverines could potentially meet up to three times per campaign, as well as how a loss would be less critical due to the increased number of programs competing in the College Football Playoff, Shemon explained how the hype around what he called “the best rivalry in all of sports” was not what it used to be.
What Did Craig Shemon Say About the New CFP Format?
While appearing on the popular ‘Locked On BIG 10’ podcast, Shemon detailed how the increased number of teams partaking in the College Football Playoffs has resulted in regular season contests having much less significance than they once did.
Shemon made clear that he did not like the new format of the CFP and believed that it minimized the impact of the regular season. The video in full has been uploaded to the ‘Locked On BIG 10’ YouTube channel.
“The college football powers are destroying it,” Shemon stated. “You know, the constant greed and short sightedness … It’s absolutely ruining the average weekend regular season games in college football, even the big ones.
“Back in the day, historically, it [Ohio State vs Michigan] meant everything. It usually determined a Big Ten Champion, it usually determined who went to the Rose Bowl, it usually determined if a coach got to keep his job for the next year… [now] both teams may still go to the playoffs, there’s always this safety net around it which we didn’t used to have.”
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The rivalry between the Buckeyes and the Wolverines has become quite lopsided in recent years, with Michigan having won the previous four contests. Most recently this past campaign, the Wolverines defeated the home-team Buckeyes by a score of 13-10.
However, despite the loss, Ohio State still qualified for the CFP, something that most likely would have not occurred with the previous format, and won the national championship.
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Looking ahead, the Buckeyes and the Wolverines once again play this year at the end of November, this time at the historic Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The game will be played on Nov. 29, 2025, though it is evident from Shemon’s recent words that he is unsure it will have the same meaning and value as it once did.
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