There was, once, a time when The Game's outcome was not predetermined.
In those heady days of the Year Of Our Lord Two Thousand and Four, the Michigan Wolverines had a track record of being both somehow good and successful against Ohio State. It sounds like a ridiculous and absurd hypothetical at this point, but it's true: more often than not, Michigan beat Ohio State on the field by scoring more points. In the sport of football.
Maybe that's why their 37-21 loss to the Buckeyes in 2004 caused the Wolverines so much psychic distress; coming into The Game, Michigan was 9-1 and ranked seventh in the country, as well as being double-digit favorites against a 6-4 Ohio State team made up of chicken wire and Troy Smith bombs to Ted Ginn.