"Game of the Century?"

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It's about the greatest sports rivalry of all time. Sure, there are the Giants vs. the Dodgers, the Red Sox vs. the Yankees, Auburn vs. Alabama, Ali vs. Frazier, Brown vs. Board, and Good vs. Evil... to name a few. But if you dwell in any of the mid-Atlantic states, or frankly, if you live in the United States of America then you know what the greatest rivalry of all time is. In 2000 ESPN did a poll of the centuries greatest rivalries, ranked at number one of course, is Ohio State vs. Michigan. "When Ohio Stadium opened in 1922, Michigan spoiled the party with a 22-0 victory. The rivalry was heated in the early days as both have been long-time college football powers. But it got even hotter in 1969, when Bo Schembechler took over as Michigan's coach and upset Woody Hayes' No. 1-ranked, undefeated Buckeyes. Four times in the next six years, both teams were ranked in the top five when they met. In 1970 and 1973, both were undefeated (they tied 10-10 in '73). From 1970 through 1975, Michigan entered without a loss every year. The Wolverines won just once. Ohio State was 9-0-1 in 1993, 11-0 in 1995 and 10-0 in 1996. The Buckeyes lost each time. That is rivalry." -ESPN.com For any OSU fans or Michigan fans, this is the only game of the entire season that actually matters. For example...The 1950 "Snow Bowl" is perhaps the most famous game in the rivalry. "Eighth-ranked Ohio State, coached by Wes Fesler, was scheduled to host the game on November 25 in Columbus amidst one of the worst blizzards on Ohio record. The Buckeyes, who led the Big Ten, were granted the option to cancel the game against Michigan, which would have, by default, given the Buckeyes the Big Ten title outright and won them a trip to Pasadena for the Rose Bowl. Ohio State refused, and the game was set to be played. Amid howling snow and wind, in what was probably the most literal example of a "field position" game, the teams exchanged 45 punts, often on first down, in hopes that the other team would fumble the ball near or into their own end zone. Despite not obtaining a single first down, Michigan capitalized on two blocked punts, recovering one in the end zone for a touchdown and booting another one out of bounds for a safety. Michigan gained a 9-3 victory, securing the Big Ten title and a Rose Bowl berth." -Wikipedia.org We lost that game, but that shows how intense of a rivalry this is. Remembering Bo Schembechler...As most of you know the legendary Michigan coaching icon died today, which could be bad for Ohio State, giving Michigan a slight boost of motivation for their dead icon. But that's fine, let them. Now Bo's mentor and one of the greatest coaches in OSU history, led his teams to a 205-61-10 record, winning five national championships (1954, 1957, 1961, 1968, and 1970), 13 Big Ten conference championships and four of the team's eight Rose Bowl appearances. He is the only coach to send a team to four consecutive Rose Bowl games. So let's do it for Woody Hayes. Wikipedia also had the "Cultural Impact" of the rivalry...random facts... Cultural impact * Toledo, Ohio is the "border" city in this rivalry. Michigan and Ohio State fans are evenly split there. This city also has "Buckeye & Wolverine" shops in the suburbs of Sylvania and Perrysburg.[5] * In honor of the 100th meeting between the schools in 2003, US Representative Stephanie Tubbs Jones of Ohio proposed a resolution in the House to recognize Michigan and Ohio State as the "greatest sports rivalry in history." [6] * In 2003, a judge in Columbus, Ohio allowed Jeff Renne, an inmate charged with forgery, to stay in a local jail so that he could watch the 100th game between OSU and Michigan. Renne told the judge that he would plead guilty as long as he could stay in jail for the weekend and watch the game before he was relocated to a prison.[7] * In 2004, Michigan and Ohio State announced a deal with SBC Communications to sponsor their football game for the next two years for $1.06 million, to be split between the universities. The game would be dubbed the "SBC Michigan-Ohio State Classic" that year and the order of the school names would be switched the next. Advertisements were to be placed on billboards in Ohio Stadium, but not on the field or on player uniforms, nor anywhere in Michigan Stadium, where there is no commerical advertising. Fans and alumni of both schools were outraged and ultimately the deal was cancelled. The game remains unsponsored. [8] * Following the general elections in 2006, the race in Ohio's 15th congressional district has been disputed between incumbent Deborah Pryce and challenger Mary Jo Kilroy. The district will delay recounting votes until after the Michigan-Ohio State game in Columbus on November 18. Through the first eleven weeks of the 2006 season, Ohio State and Michigan are both 11-0 and ranked #1 and #2 respectively in the Bowl Championship Series rankings. The winner of the their game on November 18 will be the outright Big Ten champion and will play for a national championship, and there is some speculation that the teams could meet again in a rematch in the BCS National Championship Game in Glendale, Arizona. As such, this year's contest has been widely touted as a "game for the ages". This game means big things for The Buckeyes, and it means big things for Troy....so, go Buckeyes! O-H...