So it’s all come down to this: Michigan making the four hour trip down to Columbus to face bitter rival Ohio State in what is essentially a national championship semifinal.

Number one versus number two. An endangered, vicious animal (Wolverine) versus a poisonous nut (Buckeye). The Horseshoe versus the Big House. Winged helmets. Script "Ohio." All of this taking place on the banks of the Olentangy River on Saturday afternoon (3:30 p.m. EST, ABC.)

Once Michigan completed its drubbing of Notre Dame on Separation Saturday back in September, most college football fans started looking at this game as an important one in the landscape of the horrid BCS.

But did we really think that Ohio State and Michigan were going to get this far and have this much at stake?

The Buckeyes have essentially been on cruise control since thrashing Texas in Austin, 24-7 on September 9. The only close call came two weeks ago against an up-and-coming Illinois team. (I never thought I’d write that sentence.)

The Wolverines haven’t blown teams out of the water since their victory in South Bend. They’ve played things closer to the vest and pulled away late in their games. Also, the Wolverines were without Mario Manningham for three games, and he saw limited action in a fourth contest.

These two teams, though, feature great defenses. Most experts thought that there would be a dropoff for the Buckeyes, since they lost nine starters from last season’s Big Ten champions. All that the defense has done is force turnovers and allow less than eight points a game, which has them ranked first in the nation.

After last year’s 7-5 debacle, the Wolverines refocused physically and mentally. They are a stout defense, allowing only 12 points and 29 rushing yards a game, and making their mark with hard hitting. Ron English, the defensive coordinator, may be a dark horse candidate for some of the jobs that are available (or will be available) after the season.

The questions for each unit will be: Can Michigan slow down Troy Smith in this game? In his previous two Michigan-Ohio State games, Smith has racked up 723 yards of total offense and 5 touchdowns without turning the ball over once.

Can Ohio State slow down Mike Hart? In his two Ohio State-Michigan games, Hart has tallied only 76 yards on 27 carries. But Hart is healthy this year, and the Ohio State defense does give up running yardage from time to time, having surrendered 171 yards on the ground to Northern Illinois University's Garrett Wolfe in the season opener.

Number one versus number two for the first time ever in this series. The winner goes to Glendale, Arizona. The loser gets the opportunity to go to the Rose Bowl. A possible Heisman Trophy victory hangs in the balance for Smith or even Hart.

The stakes don’t get any higher than this. Hopefully the game will match the hype.