In the end, it just didn't matter.
It didn't matter that Ohio State was No. 2 in the nation. It didn't matter that the Buckeyes were undefeated. Or that they had already locked up a Rose Bowl berth. Or even that the Michigan-Ohio State game was in Columbus.
In the end, it just didn't matter.
Because when Michigan plays Ohio State, the Wolverines are almost always at their best. Michigan's 13-9 victory over the Buckeyes on Saturday was proof.
Behind a dominating defense and backup quarterback Brian Griese, the Wolverines rallied from a 9-0 halftime deficit to post one of the largest upsets in school history.
Michigan managed just 62 yards of total offense in the opening half but struck early in the third quarter. On the second play of the second half, Griese, who was playing for injured starter Scott Dreisbach, found wide receiver Tai Streets on a pass play that covered 69 yards for a touchdown.
Suddenly, the Wolverines trailed by only two. More importantly, they had the momentum that would eventually enable them to defeat Ohio State for the seventh time in the past nine years.
"It seemed from that point on, they were a different team," Ohio State coach John Cooper said. "They made one big play in the ball game, and we didn't. That was the difference."
Saturday's game marked the second straight year in which the Wolverines defeated Ohio State, when the Buckeyes was undefeated and ranked No. 2. Last year in Ann Arbor, Michigan stunned the Buckeyes, 31-23, knocking them out of the Rose Bowl.
But as shocking as last season's Michigan victory was, this one was more astonishing. The Wolverines came into the game as 17 1/2-point underdogs and had dropped two straight games in which they were favored - to Purdue and Penn State.
With their victory Saturday, the Wolverines are probably headed to the Outback Bowl in Tampa, Fla., on Jan. 1 to play a team from the Southeastern Conference. Ohio State is still going to the Rose Bowl to meet undefeated Arizona State on Jan. 1.
In Ann Arbor, some students thought Michigan didn't have much of a chance.
"I was a little surprised by (the game)," said LSA junior Rob Favre. "I was surprised that Ohio State, in the second half, didn't get it together."
The Buckeyes, running behind Heisman Trophy candidate Orlando Pace, rushed for just five yards in the second half. Linebacker Jarrett Irons and the rest of the Michigan defense owned the second half, holding Ohio State to just 84 total yards.
Still, despite the tremendous odds that faced the Wolverines before the game, other students said they weren't surprised by the outcome.
"It was a great game," said LSA junior Joe Bizon. "I've been a Michigan fan since I was five, and I always expect Michigan to beat Ohio State."
JOE WESTRATE/Daily
Tai Streets runs for the only Michigan touchdown of Saturday's game against Ohio State University. The Wolverines dashed the national championship hopes of the Rose Bowl-bound Buckeyes.