Perfect records and much more at stake for Ohio State, Michigan

The eyes of the nation will again be centered on Michigan Stadium with pregame shows from ESPN and Fox set to be on site before The Game kicks off at noon.

While the Buckeyes seek to snap a two-game losing streak, Michigan wants to complete a second straight undefeated regular season and add to its 60-52-6 all-time advantage in the series.

Here are five things to know about The Game:

1. The coaches might feel the same way toward each other many fans do for the opposing team.

Ohio State coach Ryan Day and Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh were both asked directly about respect for each other this week, and both sidestepped the question by talking in general about game prep.

“It’s all about our preparation for Ohio,” Harbaugh said Monday.

“I was taught that the way you respect the rivalry is to work it every day,” Day said a day later.

The bitterness between the teams has taken on a new dimension since news broke the NCAA had evidence Michigan illegally sent advanced scouts to games of future opponents to record their game signals.

The Big Ten suspended Harbaugh for the last three games of the regular season as the NCAA investigation continues, and Michigan fans — including some Wolverine-centric websites — have responded by accusing Day of playing some role in the investigation of Michigan being launched.

Yahoo Sports reported the NCAA told the Big Ten that is not the case, but it hasn’t stopped online vitriol from being aimed at Day.

“Every year, you learn more and more about this game and the preparation for it, so we’re not going to let any of that stuff get in our way in terms of distractions,” Day said. “We’re just going to focus on this team, this season and preparing the best we possibly can.”

2. Feelings aside, the stakes are massive.

The series started in 1897 and moved to the last game of the regular season in 1935.

This will be the third time in four The Game directly determines the Big Ten East champion, and it will be the 50th time since ‘35 it has the potential for major impact on the final conference standings.

While the Buckeyes backed into the College Football Playoff last season despite losing to Michigan, that looks less likely for the loser this year with Georgia, Florida State and Washington all still undefeated entering the weekend.

Texas, Alabama and Oregon are also one-loss teams with a strong case for making the final four, and the Crimson Tide or Ducks would likely jump over the OSU-Michigan loser if they knock off the Bulldogs or Huskies in their respective conference championship games.

3. Michigan’s offense presents a unique challenge.

The Wolverines developed a reputation for a punishing ground game while winning the last two Big Ten titles, but this unit has not shown quite the same pop as last season when Michigan averaged 238.9 yards rushing and 5.6 yards per carry.

This season those numbers have dropped to 171 and 4.5, respectively, but acting head coach Sherrone Moore, who is the offensive coordinator and line coach, still figures to make the Buckeyes prove they can go toe to toe with the Wolverines in the trenches.

That includes a package with seven offensive linemen that can wreak havoc with normal defensive tendencies.

“All of a sudden, there’s a lot of different gaps,” Ohio State defensive coordinator Jim Knowles said. “And their running backs are talented, and their offensive line is talented so there really is an exactness and a preciseness that our players need to understand. And that’s my job. My job is to get them to understand by Saturday and be able to do it fast.”

Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy has had a quiet couple of weeks for the Wolverines, but he still leads the Big Ten in passing efficiency and has shown the ability to hurt teams with his arm and his legs — especially throwing on the run — while putting together a 23-1 record as a starter.

“He’s a really good runner,” Knowles said. “He ran some against us last year, and he runs from time to time when they need it. He’s a competitor so you just have to always be ready for it. And you have to understand the types of runs that he likes, the types of scrambles he likes.”

4. Ohio State’s offense has shown signs of peaking at the right time.

The Buckeyes averaged 37.5 points and nearly 500 yards the past two games after enduring some ups and downs due to inconsistency earlier in the season.

There is not much mystery about why: running back TreVeyon Henderson, receiver Emeka Egbuka and tight end Cade Stover returned to join star receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. in the lineup and give first-year starting quarterback Kyle McCord the full complement of weapons he expected to have all season.

“I think that’s a huge boost of confidence,” McCord said. “You put all those reps in in the offseason, summer and fall camp, and when you lose a few of those pieces you can kind of tell a little bit, and I think guys have stepped up and done a good job, but to have all those guys back healthy and ready to go, that was the best Emeka has looked since he’s been back. You can tell he’s got some swagger back to him. He looks explosive. Obviously, Tre, who missed some time, him being back looking the way he does is a huge boost of confidence.”

5. Overall, health appears to be good for both teams.

Michigan finished its win over Maryland last week without top receiver Roman Wilson and left tackle Ladarius Henderson, but Moore said they should be available to face the Buckeyes.

Ohio State expects the return of middle linebacker Tommy Eichenberg after missing two games with an arm injury and nose tackle Mike Hall Jr., who did not play last week because of an unidentified injury.

McCarthy might be a wild card in this conversation.

Although he has not missed any game time, the Michigan quarterback appeared to suffer a leg injury during the Penn State game, and the Wolverines never threw a pass in the second half against the Nittany Lions.

He had his worst game of the season statistically against Maryland last week, but the junior from Illinois told reporters Monday he was feeling better than he has lately.

McCord has also been dealing with an ankle injury most of the season that has appeared to impact his footwork and throwing mechanics at times.

SATURDAY’S GAME

Ohio State at Michigan, Noon, Fox, 1410