By Staff
There comes a time in ones life where he or she realizes that there is more to their world than sports.
That is of course, unless you are a Michigan or an Ohio State fan.
The world will revolve around Columbus, Ohio on Saturday when the No. 1 ranked Buckeyes square off against the No. 2 ranked Wolverines in a battle not only for the Big Ten championship, but also for a spot in the national title game.
All of college football will have their eyes squarely entranced on the "Horseshoe" as what I believe to be the greatest rivalry in all of college sports is renewed.
Forget Army-Navy, Oklahoma-Nebraska, Florida-Florida State or Notre Dame-USC. This game is the "mac-daddy" of rivalries.
This war between the states has everything a game would want – outstanding players, great coaches, big plays, tough defense and history.
Two of college football's greatest programs will be slugging it out in a winner-take-all contest.
The pageantry surrounding the Ohio State-Michigan game is also special. Whether you are a fan of the Wolverines or a fan of the Buckeyes, there is no more special moment prior to the actual playing of the game than when the Ohio State band dots the eye in "script Ohio."
It sends chills down my spine every time I see it and I can tell you for a fact I am not a Buckeye fan.
Years of tradition also make this rivalry what it is. The great players and legendary coaches have matched wits and physical ability for supremacy in the Big Ten Conference.
More often than not, this game decides the conference champion. In the old days, winning the championship meant a trip to the Rose Bowl. Nowadays, winning the title means you are going to play in a Bowl Championship Series game.
We all have the luxury of sitting around and talking about how the winner will play for the national title, while the loser may not get a BCS bid, the two teams need to be focused on what is truly at stake.
Winning the Big Ten championship should be the No. 1 thought for the Buckeyes and Wolverines. I am sure both coaches are trying to keep their teams focused on just playing football and to ignore the hype.
I expect one of the all-time great games in this series' history. I hope that the game comes right down to the wire and the winning team has to do something special to pull out the victory.
There have been so many special moments in this game. It would be a shame if one team blows the other one out. It would be a crime if neither team plays well and one of them lucks out with a victory.
So get ready college football fans. The biggest game of the year is almost here. Crank up those hype machines because it doesn't get any bigger than Michigan versus Ohio State.