Bowl, while Ohio State was defeated 41–14 by the Florida Gators in the national championship game. Pre-game buildup Michigan and Ohio State first faced each other in 1897, and have met annually since 1918. Coming into the game, Michigan held the all-time lead in the series 57–39–6, though Ohio State had won the previous two meetings. Called simply "The Game" by some, the rivalry is considered one of the greatest in American sports. The rivalry was specifically intense during a period known as the Ten Year War from 1969 to 1978 when Woody Hayes of Ohio State and Bo Schembechler of Michigan coached opposing teams. Schembechler died at the age of 77 on the eve of the game. This would be the first time since 1973 that both teams came into the rivalry game undefeated. At the beginning of the season, both teams were ranked in the top fifteen. Following a victory over the then-second-ranked Texas on September 9, the Buckeyes' top rank was cemented. Michigan's victory over the then-second-ranked Notre Dame the following week on September 16, would bring them into the top ten at No. 6 in the AP poll. Both teams would go on to win their remaining games and enter the rivalry with Michigan, ranked No. 2 in the BCS standings, while Ohio State was ranked No. 1. This would be the first time in the BCS-era that the top-two-ranked teams would play each other in the regular season. Due to the No. 1 vs. No. 2 rankings from the conference rivals and the hype that led up to the matchup, the game was referred to as the "Game of the Century." Michigan In the preseason polls, Michigan opened the 2006 season ranked No. 14 in the AP Poll, while being ranked No. 15 in the Coaches' Poll. The Wolverines' opened the season against the Vanderbilt Commodores and defeated them 27–7. Following a 41–17 victory over Central Michigan, the No. 11 Wolverines traveled to Notre Dame Stadium to play the No. 2 Fighting Irish. Following a dominating performance on offense and defense, which included three interceptions of Irish quarterback Brady Quinn, the Wolverines defeated Notre Dame 47–21 and moved to No. 6 in the polls the following week. Michigan opened their conference schedule defeating the Wisconsin Badgers 27–13, and the Minnesota Golden Gophers in the Little Brown Jug game. Michigan remained consistent at No. 6 in