GAME NOTES: College football's most storied rivalry will add another chapter this weekend, as the 10th-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes host the Michigan Wolverines. In the past, this showdown has often determined the Big Ten title, as both the Buckeyes and Wolverines are almost always in the running for the crown.

Unfortunately for Michigan, it has already sealed its first losing season since 1967 and snapped a 33-season bowl streak. The Wolverines close out their season this weekend, and will not win consecutive games in a campaign for the first time since 1962. Furthermore, they have lost eight games in a season for the first time in program history, as Rich Rodriguez's first campaign as the leader of the program has been disastrous.

Ohio State can clinch a share of the Big Ten title with a win against Michigan but will need Penn State to lose to Michigan State in order to represent the Big Ten in the Rose Bowl. The only two losses this season for the Buckeyes have come against USC and Penn State, two of the top teams in the nation. Since the seven-point home loss to the Nittany Lions on October 25th, OSU has won back-to-back games, including a 30-20 decision over Illinois last weekend.

Michigan owns a 57-41-6 edge in the all-time series between these two bitter rivals, but the Buckeyes have won six of the last seven meetings, including a 14-3 triumph in last season's matchup.

The Michigan offense has some injury issues heading into this final game. Quarterback Steven Threet suffered a head injury last weekend against Northwestern, and his status against Ohio State is uncertain. Tailback Sam McGuffie is also questionable with a knee injury, and fellow runner Brandon Minor is struggling with a shoulder injury that may keep him out of action. The fact that the Wolverines are only averaging 21.5 ppg and 299.5 total ypg suggests that the implementation of Rodriguez's offense has been met with many problems. McGuffie and Minor have combined to rush for 952 yards and 11 touchdowns, so the offense will be even less effective than usual if one or both miss this weekend's game. Threet, who has run for 201 yards and two scores, has completed just 51 percent of his passes for 1,105 yards with nine touchdowns against seven interceptions.

Last weekend against Northwestern, Threet and Nick Sheridan combined to complete just 12-of-36 passes for 83 yards. Carlos Brown did run for 115 yards in the tilt, but offense scored only one touchdown in the game and didn't play nearly well enough to win. "We had great field position a couple of times off of turnovers and didn't do anything with it," said Rodriguez after the game. "That is something we have been good at all year and today we just didn't do it."

It is hard to believe that Michigan is allowing 27.7 ppg, as the team typically possesses a strong defensive unit. The Wolverines have yielded 34 touchdowns to opposing offenses, including 18 rushing scores. While they have been able to limit foes to 3.4 rushing yards per attempt, the Wolverines are surrendering 12.4 yards per pass completion and have only come up with eight interceptions all season. Obi Ezeh has been one of the top defenders for Michigan, as he has made 96 total tackles, including seven TFLs. The other player worthy of mention is Brandon Graham, who has registered a stellar total of 18 TFLs, including nine sacks.

Northwestern did score three touchdowns against the Michigan defense last weekend, but two of the scores came on drives covering 39 and 40 yards. The Wolverines were tremendous against the run, holding the Wildcats to 59 yards on 37 attempts. They also came up with a pair of interceptions in the clash, so it is hard to put too much blame on the defense for the loss. "It's definitely tough to go out for our seniors in our home stadium and not come out with a win for those guys, for the team, for the program," said dejected linebacker Jonas Mouton after the game.

Last weekend, the Buckeyes pounded the ball on the ground against Illinois, finishing with 305 yards on 52 attempts. Chris Wells was sensational, gaining 143 yards and a touchdown on 43 carries while making every highlight show in the country by jumping over an Illini defender on one run. Freshman quarterback Terrelle Pryor added 110 rushing yards and a score on 13 carries. "We knew we would have a lot better chance of winning running the ball," said Jim Tressel, who only asked his rookie signal caller to throw the ball 10 times in the tilt.

Overall this season, Pryor has completed 64.7 percent of his passes for 1,125 yards with 10 touchdowns against three interceptions. He has rushed for 560 yards and six scores, impressive to say the least. Wells, who has only played in eight games because of injury, has racked up 957 yards and seven touchdowns. Brian Robiskie has only caught 35 passes this season, but seven have gone for scores. Ohio State is scoring 26.9 ppg to go along with 332.7 total ypg.

The Ohio State defense struggled a bit against Illinois last weekend, as the Illini were able to post 25 first downs on the strength of 214 rushing yards and 241 passing yards. That total of 455 yards was the highest allowed by OSU by far, besting USC's 348-yard effort early in the campaign. The Buckeyes did come up with a pair of takeaways, but the club allowed two touchdowns as well. "With an offense like this (Illinois) that is so dangerous, you have to realize they are going to get some yards," said Ohio State standout linebacker James Laurinaitis. "As a defense you just have to make the big plays that cause turnovers. It's kind of like a bend, but don't break mentality."

Laurinaitis has recorded 109 total tackles, 40 more than his closest teammate. The Buckeyes are yielding only 13.6 ppg and 286.6 total ypg to rank among the national leaders in both categories. They have been tremendous against both the run and the pass.

Ohio State will win a share of its fourth straight Big Ten title with a rather easy win over Michigan. Expect another outstanding performance by Pryor and Wells, while the Wolverines will be fortunate to reach double figures in the scoring column.