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COLUMBUS — 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 Big Ten) 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 number one 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's 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.