DaytonDailyNews.com

The question is an obvious one: Is this the biggest game Ohio State and Michigan have ever played? They are, after all, both undefeated and the nation's top two teams.

The game feels enormous. Outright Big Ten title on the line. National championship game appearance. Another notch in college sports' top rivalry.

But, I just don't think this is the biggest it has been.

Think back to the gigantic Bo-Woody games. The same things were at stake. Big Ten title. Possible national championship. The winner received similar benefits.

You know what the loser got? Sometimes nothing. Their season ended. The next day, they turned in their pads.

After Saturday, whoever loses this version of The Game gets a ticket to Pasadena, Calif., and the Rose Bowl. That's quite the runner-up prize.

It feels like more is on the line because we live in an age of super-hype, non-stop highlights, football players on the covers of newspapers. Sports is inching closer to three hours of marketing interrupted every once in awhile by a game.

Plus, it's easy to see the most recent as the biggest and best. What have you done for me lately, right?

Take a look at those past season results for Ohio State and Michigan. If there was a loss in The Game, there sometimes weren't any more games to play.

Don't get me wrong, Saturday's game will be so anticipated that it's difficult to even describe.

But it has been bigger.

Contact this reporter at (937) 225-7389 or knagel@DaytonDailyNews.com.