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There really is not a huge need to hype this game, talk about its significance or any of that added noise.

It is 'The Game' for a reason. Fans know when it is. Everyone involved knows how important it is.

Ohio State very well could have the B1G East locked up by this point, ticket punched to Indy yet again. None of that really matters in the scope of this game however.

Jim Harbaugh has not found a way to breakthrough in this series and with this game in Columbus (Ohio) it certainly looks like a tall task, to say the least.

There is no reason to go over the game-by-game accounting of this series over the last 20 years. Ohio State fans can recite it by heart. Michigan fans are doing everything in their power to forget about it.

No team has ever won more than nine in a row in this series (Ohio State mustered two ties during the first 15 years of futility in this series) and a win this year will get to Ohio State, adding to its longest streak all-time as the Buckeyes try and draw closer to getting back to .500 overall in this series.

'The Game' can't get here soon enough.

Series History: Michigan leads the series 58-52-6

Last time played: It was a close game for a quarter before the Buckeyes put their foot on the gas and rolled out to a 56-27 rout of the Wolverines in 2019. It was the second straight rout of a Don Brown-led defense.

Ohio State amassed 577 yards of total on offense on one of the nation's top defenses and the Wolverines were supposed to be one of the best in the nation against the run. The Buckeyes ran for 264 yards against a defense that was allowing 106 yards per game.

J.K. Dobbins ran for 211 yards on 31 carries and had four touchdowns in this game as he averaged 6.8 yards per carry. Justin Fields matched the four touchdowns as he threw for 302 yards. The Buckeyes spread out the passing touchdowns with Chris Olave, KJ Hill, Austin Mack and Garrett Wilson all reeling scores in.

Ohio State put up 14 points per quarter in each quarter and after Michigan opened the first frame with 13 points, the Wolverines could only total 4 points over the final three quarters.

The 56 points by the Buckeyes came on the heels of putting up 62 in 2018, marking only the third and fourth times that Ohio State has reached the 50-point plateau against the Wolverines (1968, 1961).

Michigan's best chance here likely is a cancellation of the season.

Okay, now that I have angered all the fans of that other team, let's get on with it.

There are a lot of things going against the road team in this one, be it the fact that the Wolverines have not found a way to stop the Buckeyes over the last two years in terms of putting up 50-plus, found a way to win a game over the last eight and really have had little success since Y2K, why should Ohio State feel that it will enter this game under a heavy threat of dropping this one.

Honestly, when it comes to a rivalry like this and when there is so much 'hate' claimed between the two programs, there would not be that level of hate if there was not a level of 'respect' buried in there.

Ohio State fans over the age of 40 remember what it was like in the lean years for the Buckeyes prior to the hiring of Jim Tressel. So many talented teams to only see their dreams dashed by the hated rival of the north.

There is a new generation of Ohio State fan that does not really know what it is like to lose to Michigan, the only loss coming on the year of Ohio State's worst record (6-7) since 1988 and a 4-6-1 season (with apologies to the 6-6 season of 1999 where the Buckeyes did finish at .500).

Should fans expect Ohio State to break 50 again? Maybe not? But fans should also not be surprised if it does happen. The Ohio State offensive coaches have been so far ahead of the adjustments and re-adjustments that the Michigan defensive coaches have tried to install, and with the horsepower of this Ohio State offense, it might be difficult to keep the Buckeyes in check, at home on Senior Day.

This will be a final home hurrah for Justin Fields and he may save some of his best for last. While the Buckeyes can't afford to put him in a position to risk anything, this might be that final calling card for a lot of Heisman voters and the Buckeyes will give him every opportunity to shine.

One thing is pretty much for certain, keep an eye on Wolverine-killer Chris Olave. If I had to put money on anyone having a big game, it would be Olave. Ohio State 59 Michigan 28

Additional Stat Line: Justin Fields 22/28, 317 yards, 5 TD

In what has become a ticking time bomb that has no tick, the Michigan Wolverines will roll into Columbus and try to do something it hasn't done in Ohio Stadium since 2000: win.

After a few years of watching promising Michigan teams come up short against the Buckeyes, it would be hard to imagine this rendition getting a leg up on an Ohio State team that will likely be playing for a championship.

After another huge victory in 2019, it was apparent that Ohio State takes the rivalry more seriously than Jim Harbaugh and his team. Even if the Wolverines can fix their mindset, there is a talent gap that will take years to close, and Ryan Day and his staff don't seem eager to let the gap shrink.

Ohio State will be on a mission in 2020 to find its way back to the playoff in order to avenge the loss in the desert, and the last team that the Buckeyes will let stand in their way is Michigan.

I expect Justin Fields to light up the scoreboard in what will likely be his final home game. Michigan was fortunate to play a hobbled Fields in 2019, and even a limited No. 1 was able to lead the Buckeyes to 56 points.

Even worse for Michigan than a healthy Fields is a more experienced Chris Olave. The junior has earned a reputation of stepping up against the Wolverines, scoring three touchdowns and blocking a punt that led to another in his two experiences in The Game.

On the defensive side of things, I think Michigan will be helped by fresh legs at quarterback. Shea Patterson struggled mightily against the Buckeyes, so the presence of Dylan McCaffrey or Joe Milton will likely make the Michigan offense more dynamic.

Even with the jolt from the quarterback position, the talent gap mixed with the hostile environment will be too much for Michigan. The Buckeyes collect another set of gold pants. Ohio State 52 Michigan 24

Additional Stat Line: Garrett Wilson - 6 catches, 96 yards, 2 TD

Players and coaches may not be allowed in the Woody Hayes Athletic Center yet, but if you head over there right now and take a look through the windows, you'll still find the digital clock ticking down until the kickoff of The Game.

It's difficult to do the rivalry justice in a short piece like this, but alternatively, we don't really need to. Everybody knows how important this game is to Ohio State and Ohio State fans every year, with most more likely to accept a reality where the Buckeyes lose a national championship than a loss to the Wolverines.

Once this game kicks off, you'll have to go back nine games to find the last time Michigan won, and 20 games for the last time they won in Columbus which will host the Wolverines this year. Will this be the year that Jim Harbaugh can finally get the monkey off his back?

Not likely! Ohio State will be just as much, if not more, involved in the conversation for playoffs this year and as one of the best teams in the country. The gap between recruiting classes also grows bigger every year, so there just isn't much of an expectation that this will be a close one.

Additionally, a lot of important Buckeyes including Justin Fields, Jonathon Cooper, Shaun Wade, Wyatt Davis, Josh Myers, Thayer Munford and likely Chris Olave will see their home careers at Ohio State come to an end, so the energy in The Shoe will be unmatched.

In terms of the on-the-field proceedings, Dylan McCaffrey will be taking his long awaited turn at quarterback, though he'll have to do it with four new starters on the offensive line after most of the 2019 starters were taken in the NFL Draft. This doesn't bode well for the Wolverines against a hungry Ohio State defense.

Defensively, Michigan has a lot of questions about players they'll need to replace in 2020, and with Ohio State returning almost all its starters on offense, it doesn't appear to be a fair matchup when the Buckeyes have the ball.

It's almost a certainty that Michigan will eventually return to the win column in this rivalry. Will it be this year? Probably not. The next few years? Also unlikely. Beyond that, it's hard to predict what can happen, though the Buckeyes are in as good a spot as ever to look towards eventually taking the lead in wins. We don't know when that will happen, but I'm confident in saying that Ohio State will take home victory once again in 2020. Ohio State 42 Michigan 14

Additional Stat Line: Ohio State - Holds Michigan to fewer than 150 passing yards