#7 Michigan (9-1; 7-0) vs. Ohio State (6-4; 3-4)

2004 Big Ten Standings

2004 Poll Rankings

ESPN
Greatest Rivalries of All-Time: #1 U-M vs. OSU

Michigan Daily
Problems abound for Ohio State against Michigan

Where Did the Winged Helmet; Gold Pants Award; Buckeye Leaves; Script Ohio Come From?

Woody vs. Bo

Detroit News
Does the Michigan-Ohio State game mean more to Ohioans?
It certainly feels different in Columbus versus Ann Arbor during the week of the game. A lot of it is because Ohio State has one main rival -- Michigan. U-M, of course, has three -- Michigan State, Notre Dame and OSU. This is not to suggest that the Michigan-Ohio State rivalry means less to Wolverine fans. But what is absent in Ann Arbor are things like "Countdown to Ohio State" clocks in the lower right corner of the local network television affiliates, and "Days Until Ohio State" charts on the local newspaper Web sites, and TV anchors wearing maize and blue clothing all week. Because Ann Arbor is so close to Detroit, a city with four pro sports franchises, and a city with TV affiliates that have a lot more to cover each day other than U-M football, the focus is not all U-M all the time. Ohio State is very much the focus of those living in Columbus and, for that matter, throughout the state.

Game Notes
Michigan; Ohio State

• #5 Michigan defeated #4 Ohio State 35-21 last year at the Big House.
• 84% of Yahoo! College Pick'em users predict Michigan will defeat Ohio State.
• Michigan is a 5 1/2 point favorite according to Sheridan.
• Michigan is ranked #7 in the BCS Standing, AP Poll and USA Today/ESPN Coaches Poll. Michigan is #18 in the Sagarin ratings, while Ohio State is #36.
• The Wolverines have compiled a 21-9-1 record against OSU at Ohio Stadium and are 27-20-2 in Columbus. Michigan is 30-17-4 against OSU in Ann Arbor and is 22-15-3 against OSU at the Big House.
• Michigan is looking to claim their sixth 10-win season under Coach Carr.
• Michigan is 12-9 in games against OSU when OSU is unranked.
• With a win against OSU, Michigan would be undefeated in the Big 10. It would also be their 14th straight Big 10 win.

Michigan vs. Ohio State Series Stats

• Games decided by three points or less: Tied 5-5-6; Games decided by seven points or less: U-M leads 16-15-6.
• Longest Michigan winning streak vs. OSU, nine games (1901-09); longest losing streak vs. OSU, four games (1960-63)
• Michigan leads the series against OSU 57-37-6. OSU would need to win 20 straight years to even catch up with Michigan.
• Michigan has score 1,672 points vs. OSU, while OSU has only scored 1,202 points against Michigan
• Michigan is 14-6-1 against OSU since 1983 including a streak from 1988-93 where they went 5-0-1 against OSU and another streak from 1995-2000 where they went 5-1-0. Michigan has won 6 of the last 10 games
• Michigan has appeared in more Rose Bowls (18) than any other Big Ten Conference school.
• Michigan has 42 (including their current shared title in 2004) Big 10 titles (OSU -29) which is the most of any college football program in ANY conference.
• Michigan has 11 national championships (5th all-time) to OSU's 7.

Michigan Stats

• Michigan has more wins that any football program in NCAA history, 842-273-36 (.7471763).
• Michigan has the highest winning percentage of any team in the NCAA history (.7471763).
• Michigan has a run of 104 straight AP polls (20 polls longer than Miami) in which it has been ranked in the Top 25, the longest streak in the nation. It spans 78 games and began Oct. 24, 1998.
• Michigan is 262-81-10 (.756) all-time when listed in the AP Top 10, including a 38-16 mark during Lloyd Carr's coaching tenure.
• Michigan has a 35-18 overall record against AP nationally ranked teams under Lloyd Carr. The Wolverines have compiled a 125-104-8 (.542) all-time record against AP nationally ranked teams.
• Head coach Lloyd Carr has a career winning percentage of .779 (95-27), ranking him fifth among active Division I coaches. He now leads active Big Ten coaches with 63 conference wins (63-16) and his teams are an amazing 14-4 against Top 10 opponents. He grabbed the active career lead in Big Ten wins during the 2003 season.
• Michigan has had 342 football games televised, which leads the NCAA.
• Michigan has appeared in 29 straight bowls (including the Rose Bowl in 2003), the second longest current streak in NCAA history.
• The Wolverines set an NCAA record in 2004 by averaging 111,025 fans per game at Michigan Stadium.
• The Michigan football program is the only Big Ten team in any sport to win a conference title in each decade. It is the winningest overall athletic program in Big Ten Conference history.
• Michigan ranks #1 all-time in composite AP final football polls (1936-2003), passing Notre Dame for the top spot after last season's #6 final ranking.