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Ohio State-Michigan confidential: Coaches, scouts on keys to game

It's hard to overstate the stakes of No. 2 Ohio State's game at No. 3 Michigan on Saturday.

On the field, the game will help determine the potential Big Ten champion and effectively serve as a College Football Playoff elimination game. Off the field, this 119th meeting between the teams offers perhaps the most controversial backdrop yet. This is the 13th time the programs have met with both in the AP top 5, but it's hard to imagine similar circumstances.

Ohio State enters Ann Arbor facing a referendum on the program's toughness, as the Buckeyes' consecutive losses to the Wolverines have come after getting crushed by a combined 56-17 in the second half.