Ohio State has beaten Michigan five straight times, its best winning streak and the longest in the series since the 1920s.

SPECIAL SECTION: OSU Football

The ninth-ranked Buckeyes (9-2, 6-2 Big Ten) have already clinched at least a share of their fifth straight conference title and a spot in the Rose Bowl.

Michigan (5-6, 1-6) is mired in another miserable year -- coming off a school-record nine-loss season -- and is nearly a two-touchdown underdog to lose Saturday at home. That would guarantee consecutive losing records for the Wolverines for the first time since 1962-63.

But Ohio State coach Jim Tressel says to the participants, the rivalry still matters.

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