Eleven games have come and gone. One remains in the regular season, and it's the most important one by a long shot. Michigan versus Ohio State: It's the most tradition-filled, storied, competitive rivalry in sports.

It's a game that's talked about year-round both in Ann Arbor and Columbus, and now it's one week away. Sixty minutes of football that is stressed 525,600 minutes a year is quickly approaching.

Michigan will be a big underdog in The Game. Some betting markets have Ohio State opening as 23.5-point favorites over the Wolverines in Columbus. ESPN FPI gives the Buckeyes a 93 percent chance of scoring its first victory in the rivalry since 2019.

After the Wolverines' 50-6 senior day victory over Northwestern on Saturday afternoon, players quickly turned their focus to the Buckeyes. Star EDGE rusher Josaiah Stewart said betting odds, spreads and projections mean nothing in this rivalry.

"Any over-under you guys see, it doesn't matter," Stewart said. "It's the rivalry game, so all that goes out the window. It's going to be mano a mano. ... We just want to beat Ohio State. Honestly, me personally, that's all I want to do is beat Ohio State."

Stewart addressed the media like a well-spoken captain who is fully intent on doing everything in his power to beat the Buckeyes next weekend. The second-year Wolverine had two sacks in the win over Northwestern to up his season total to 8.5.

Although not a captain, Davis Warren said Sherrone Moore spoke to the team in the locker room about next week's game. However, Warren is under the impression that there isn't anything that needs to be said about the rivalry — it's all understood.

"I think it doesn't have to be said. It's understood, to a certain extent, what lies in front of us," Warren said. "But we're going to celebrate the win. ... Trophy game, rivalry game, whatever you want to call it, so we're going to celebrate that. And we did that. And coach Moore finished it off by saying, 'We know what's next.' But I think we all understand that. Because we talk about it. You see it every day in the facility. 'What are you doing to beat Ohio State today?' We talk about it every week. Every Monday, coming in like it's Monday of Ohio State week, and now it's here, so I know this group's ready, and just excited to see us dig into the work this week and go attack them."

First-year Wolverine Aamir Hall, who had his first interception in a Michigan uniform on Saturday, said he's already been well acquainted with the rivalry, even though he's only been on campus for about six months.

"I learned that it means a lot to this university and even to this state," Hall said after the win. "It's something that you learn very quickly when you get here. It's very engraved in my mind."

The 119th edition of The Game is set to kick off at Noon ET and air on FOX's Big Noon Kickoff. Michigan leads the all-time series, 61-51-6.

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