updated 3:36 p.m. ET Nov. 21, 2008

COLUMBUS, Ohio - There's a sign in the Ohio State locker room that says, "Do you remember the score the last time Michigan beat us?''

It's a reminder — in the chill of winter or the heat of August — that "The Big Game'' is never far away.

On his first day as coach at Michigan, somebody gave Rich Rodriguez an Ohio State button. It sits by the phone in his office. He sees it every day.

A year of pretending not to be thinking about it is over. The 105th meeting between the archrivals is at hand.

This season's edition of Michigan-Ohio State (or Ohio State-Michigan, if you prefer) has two new central figures and something rarely seen when these two perennial powers get together: a losing team.

While No. 10 Ohio State (9-2, 6-1) has much to play for, it's only about pride for Michigan (3-8, 2-5).

A win and the Buckeyes can grab a share of the Big Ten title, and continue to stand in line for a spot in the Bowl Championship Series.

The Buckeyes don't see that as much of an advantage, however.

"I don't want us to get complacent or comfortable,'' Ohio State defensive lineman Nader Abdallah said. "We only have one more game in the Horseshoe and then hopefully a bowl game but right now the No. 1 thing is OSU vs. Michigan. If we go out and we don't take care of business then people will remember you for the last thing you did and not what you did before.''

Michigan is a three-touchdown underdog playing out the string in a dreadful season, hoping to end on a good note while deflating the Buckeyes' hopes. Rodriguez first season in Ann Arbor after taking over for the retired Lloyd Carr has produced the most losses in any of the storied program's 129 seasons, the first losing season in 41 years and the first season without a bowl trip in 34 years.

But this series is marked by major upsets. The biggest took place in 1969, when a rookie coach named Bo Schembechler led the Wolverines to a 24-12 upset of the top-ranked and defending national champion Buckeyes, ending a 22-game winning streak.

Woody Hayes, Schembechler's friend and former boss, would say later that those Buckeyes were "probably the best team that ever played college football.''

Earle Bruce, who followed Hayes as Ohio State's coach in 1979, spoke to the Buckeyes on Sunday night. He brought up the 1969 game and talked of how overconfidence can ruin a team. They say they got the message.

"There's plenty of history of people saying there's no way this team could lose this game in the rivalry, and the other team ends up winning,'' linebacker James Laurinaitis said.

Michigan has also had former players come in this week and they, too, have discussed that '69 stunner.

Would an upset make up for all of Michigan's miseries?

"If you had a win over Ohio State, that's what you'd try to remember the most,'' quarterback Nick Sheridan said. "To say that it will block out all the other bad memories that you have from this year, I don't think that's the case. Yeah, it would be big for us to beat Ohio State. But that's how it is every year.''

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The mantra in Columbus is that Michigan's 3-8 record is either misleading or irrelevant.

"Their record means nothing in the grand scale of things, because what are they going to be remembered for at Michigan: Did they beat Ohio State? And the same goes for us: Did we beat Michigan?'' said Ohio State kicker Ryan Pretorius, a native of South Africa who equates the magnitude of the game with the World Cup of rugby back home.

The game is significant also because it marks a debut on either side.

Rodriguez swears he has an appreciation for the history of The Big Game. His only regret is that he's taking a team with so many disadvantages.

"Oh, sure. I'd like to go in there and have, you know, four or five veteran receivers running 4.4s, and two or three tailbacks and experienced quarterbacks and a bunch of defensive guys who will be first-round picks,'' he said. "But, you know, we've got guys that can compete. Do I get nervous when I watch the film? Sure I do. I watched last year's game. We had five (current) NFL players on offense — and we got less than 100 yards against them.''

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