ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) — Ohio State has put itself in a position to possibly play in the BCS
championship.Thethird-ranked Buckeyes (11-0, 7-0 Big Ten) are undefeated and heavilyfavored to stay that
way after playing slumping archrival Michigan (7-4,3-4) on Saturday at the Big House.Ohio State has won
aschool-record 23 straight games since losing to Florida in the GatorBowl on Jan. 2, 2012, and in Ann
Arbor to close the 2011 regular season.It seems to be set up for more success on both sides of the ball
against Michigan.QuarterbackBraxton Miller and running back Carlos Hyde help the Buckeyes strike
abalance on offense and linebacker Ryan Shazier leads a stingy defense.OhioState coach Urban Meyer
acknowledged he might talk to his team abouthow Ohio State’s team in 1969 went to Michigan Stadium with
a 22-gamewinning streak and came home with a loss against Bo Schembechler’s firstteam in what is
remembered as the biggest upset in the storied series."It’s always good to talk about the history
of the rivalry," Meyer said.TheWolverines, who are playing for just pride and bowl positioning,
insistthey’re not motivated by the opportunity to spoil Ohio State’s season."Wetalk about ourselves
and what we have to do," Michigan coach Brady Hokesaid. "We’ve never ever mentioned it, and I
won’t. That’s not what thegame is about. It’s about us playing our best football for our seniorsand the
greatest rivalry in sport."When Ohio State plays at Michigan here are five things to watch:HOWCAN
MICHIGAN WIN?: Hoke said if he wasn’t very confident his team couldwin, he’d call the game off. So, what
does Hoke think the keys tovictory are? "We have to stay away from negative plays
offensively," hesaid. Michigan hasn’t been able to do that all season, ranking 123rd andlast among
major college football teams with more than 100 playsstopped behind the line of
scrimmage."Defensively, we’ve got to do agreat job in the rushing game," Hoke added. That will
be tough, too.Hyde has run for 1,064 yards and 13 touchdowns in eight games.Thesenior has 100-plus yards
rushing in six straight gamesHISTORICUPSETS: By beating Indiana last week, the Buckeyes broke a school
recordthey shared with the 1967-69 teams. Ohio State won the final four gamesof the 1967 and went
undefeated the next season, including a 50-14victory over Michigan. Buckeyes coach Woody Hayes went for
a 2-pointconversion late in the rout. When Hayes was later asked why he did it,he supposedly said,
"Because I couldn’t go for three!" The followingyear, with a team Hayes thought was his best
in 28 years, theSchembechler-led Wolverines won 24-12. Since then, Michigan’s biggestupset was a 13-9
win in 1996 as a 17-point underdog.SEEKINGREDEMPTION: Ohio State has won eight of the last nine meetings
with thelone loss coming two years ago in Ann Arbor. When Miller was a freshmanon a team that had seven
losses under interim coach Luke Fickell—themost since 1897, the quarterback overthrew a wide-open DeVier
Posey inthe final minute for what could have been a game-winning 76-yardtouchdown."It was
heartbreaking," safety C.J. Barnett said. "We let the great state of Ohio down."Now the
Buckeyes get another chance to win at Michigan.DISTRACTEDBUCKS?: Ohio State has already clinched a spot
in next week’s Big Tenchampionship game. A loss to Michigan would knock the Buckeyes out ofthe BCS title
picture, but they could still earn a conferencechampionship and a trip to the Rose Bowl by beating the
Spartans inIndianapolis. Meyer, though, insisted it hasn’t been difficult to gethis players to focus on
only the Wolverines. "Our motto this week is’All lasers pointed at one dot,’" Meyer said.
"That dot represents thefocus we have on beating these guys."MICHIGAN MEN: Devin Gardnerhas
scored five touchdowns in two different games this year, includingagainst Indiana, who let him account
for a school-record 585 yards ofoffense. The Hoosiers also gave up a Big Ten-record 369 yards
receivingto Jeremy Gallon. Even though Michigan has struggled to consistentlyblock well for the pass or
run, its occasionally spectacular quarterbackhas gotten Meyer’s attention. "He was unstoppable
against Indiana,"Meyer said. "I remember thinking, That’s as good a quarterback as thereis in
America.’"___Follow Larry Lage on Twitter: http://twitter.com/larrylageCopyright 2013 The
Associated Press. All rightsreserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten
orredistributed.