The stage is set for an epic battle between Ohio State and Michigan, as the stakes are at levels never seen before.

Welcome to the biggest stage in all of college football. The Ohio State-Michigan rivalry is the greatest in all of sports. Other rivalries are just a game played on a court or field. When it comes to the Buckeyes and Wolverines, it’s a way of life. 

This game is why you’re born. Hatred for the opposing school is ingrained in you as a child and reinforced throughout your life; never calling the rival school by name. 

Some demonstrations include crossing out all the Ms on campus, not wearing the color blue, and calling them That Team Up North. Obsessing over the other team is standard practice. It’s not unhealthy because The Game is layered within the identities of those in Ohio and Michigan. 

The two schools are companions in college football lore as each team is continually tied to the other. Underneath the deep hatred is a mutual respect on which the rivalry is truly founded. Ohio State and Michigan are the two most storied programs in college football history. 

This matchup always delivers in different ways. Whether by era like the Ten Year War, monumental upsets, Games of the Century, or the colossal showdowns we’re witnessing now. The current era embodies everything the rivalry stands for ahead of college football expansion, where the stakes will likely never be so high again. 

Over the last decade, The Game has gifted us three Top 3, four Top 5, and six Top 10 showdowns. No other rivalry compares to this one between the Scarlet and Gray and Maize and Blue. Other so-called rivals like Penn State and Michigan State are mere hurdles to the Saturday after Thanksgiving each season. 

Ohio State vs. Michigan is not just a football game or century-old rivalry but a tradition and way of life. It’s lived out 24 hours a day, 365 days per year. It is described as war. While outsiders may view that as a metaphor, it’s truly the way The Game began. 

The states fought the Toledo War over the territory of the city and eventually moved the battlefield to the gridiron. Ever since, the epic feud continues on the final Saturday in November. The rivalry spans generations with purpose and bonds hostile neighbors. 

As college football expands next year, the regular season stakes may never reach these heights again. Appreciate this era of the greatest rivalry in sports. The build-up, anticipation, and storylines toward the 119th meeting are creating an all-time stage for a game that needs no introduction. 

Ohio State and Michigan are set to battle at noon in Ann Arbor, televised on FOX, to decide the Big Ten East, Big Ten Conference Championship, a College Football Playoff berth, and potentially a Heisman Trophy winner.