As the Ohio State Buckeyes (11-0, 8-0) and the Michigan Wolverines (11-0, 8-0) prepare to battle for East Division superiority, a spot in the Big Ten title game and a likely spot in the College Football Playoff, there has been a change in the AP rankings impacting the two teams.

Ryan Day's Ohio State team is now the No. 2 team, rising up over Michigan, now in the No. 3 spot. While this is not likely to have any impact when the two teams take the field at Michigan Stadium this week, the perception is that Ohio State is peaking prior to The Game, while the Wolverines may not be at their best.

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Ohio State is coming off a 37-3 victory over Minnesota, but Michigan struggled to beat Maryland by a 31-24 margin. It was Michigan's closest game of the season, and it came without head coach Jim Harbaugh on the sidelines.

The Big Ten ruled Harbaugh could not coach any of the last 3 regular-season games because of the sign-stealing scandal impacting the program, and his absence could have an impact against the Buckeyes. Ohio State may have a coaching edge with Ryan Day on the sidelines, while Sherrone Moore has handled Michigan's head coaching responsibilities in wins over Penn State as well as Maryland

Michigan has won the last 2 games in the series, breaking a long run of Ohio State success. The Wolverines will attempt to get the best of the Buckeyes with J.J. McCarthy at quarterback and Blake Corum running the ball. Ohio State will depend on quarterback Kyle McCord and superstar wideout Marvin Harrison Jr.