Rivalry Week is not about clean execution or polished form. It is about survival, about proving supremacy in battles remembered long after the playoff bracket is set. When the smoke clears, contenders march into December hardened by tradition, while the fallen retreat with wounds that sting until next year's campaign.

For Ohio State fans, one game matters more than almost any other.

Ohio State is the defending national champion and has undoubtedly earned its spot atop the rankings, but Michigan has won four in a row in the rivalry.