Posted Thursday, Nov. 16, 2006; 10:10 a.m.

The real national championship game
Ohio State and Michigan will meet for the 103rd straight year this Saturday in the most meaningful game of this great rivalry.

By Whitney Wirth
The L.A. Pilot

COLUMBUS -- It’s known as the biggest rivalry in sports. This year, however, there’s a new spin to this great match-up. For the first time in Big 10 history, No. 1 will be playing No. 2. Ohio State will be playing Michigan in Columbus for all the marbles.

Every year these two teams are among colleges elite, but never has the game been this big. Granted, a national title or trip to the Rose Bowl is almost always at stake when these two teams meet the Saturday before Thanksgiving. Will this year’s game live up to the hype?

Ohio State has been ranked No. 1 since before the season started. They’ve impressed viewers, coaches, and even the BCS with decisive wins against No. 2 Texas in Austin and handling their other games with little trouble. The one bump in the road was Illinois and that was only considered a bump because they won by only a touchdown. Quarterback Troy Smith has looked infallible. Throwing for 26 touchdowns and only four interceptions, Smith is the key to the game if the Buckeyes hope to stay at No. 1. Thus far he’s the Heisman front runner and in the past, he’s been dominate against that team from up North.

But Smith can’t do it alone. He’s going to need the help of Ted Ginn Jr., Anthony Gonzalez, Antonio Pittman and the Buckeye defense that has stepped up big this year. Ginn has the ability to change the game on one punt return or one catch. If the Michigan defense decides to focus on Ginn, Gonzalez is going to have to step up big.

The Michigan defense will be the key to Michigan’s game in Columbus. With all of Ohio State’s offensive threats, the boys on the other side of the ball will have to try and keep them under control and get their offense back on the field.

Chad Henne has shown he can’t be trusted against Ohio State and Mario Manningham may not be 100 percent come Saturday. With all these questions looming over the Maize and Blue, they still have found ways to win big games all season. They went to Notre Dame and made the highly ranked Fighting Irish look like a preschool team playing in the NFL. Look for Michigan to come out with something to prove against their rivals.

In the end, this game comes down to who keeps the ball in their offense’s hands the most. The game is in Columbus giving Ohio State a slight advantage. With all the hype surrounding this game, it may end up being that team that can keep their composure throughout the week leading up to Saturday that pulls away with this one and lands a spot in the national championship game Jan. 8, 2007.

Prediction: Ohio State 31 Michigan 24

Michigan quarterback Chad Henne hasn't been impressive against Ohio State in the past.