ANN ARBOR >> Michigan ended a nine-game losing streak at Ohio Stadium two years ago and the Wolverines celebrated by planting an M flag in the Block O at midfield, a punctuation mark of sorts for an achievement the program had not had since 2000.

The flag is on display in the lobby of the football building, another reminder for the players of the rivalry, The Game as it’s known. They see signage all around the facility asking what they’ve done that day to beat Ohio State. Every Monday during the season, players said, is treated like the Monday of Ohio State week.

For this year’s defending national champion Wolverines, however the stakes are far different. They just reached six wins and bowl eligibility last Saturday and were out of the postseason conversation with three losses after Game 7. They are 6-5, 4-4 Big Ten. Ohio State, meanwhile, is No. 2 in the College Football Playoff rankings and 10-1, 7-1 and have national championship goals.

Ohio State is 20.5-point favorites heading into Saturday’s 120th meeting between the arch-rivals. The Wolverines have won three straight in the series, but Ohio State won eight straight before that streak was snapped in 2021. The Wolverines are coming of a 50-6 win over Northwestern, while Ohio State defeated then-No. 5 Indiana on Saturday.

For any team, Ohio Stadium is a daunting venue.

“Honestly, being there, you’ve gotta give them their respect early in the game, the atmosphere, the ambience, it’s everything you think it should be for a rivalry of this caliber,” Michigan safety Quinten Johnson said Monday. “It’s exciting to go back in an environment like that and live off the hatred and really feed off it. It’s something very enjoyable.”

Johnson said being large underdogs in a hostile stadium provides the hatred he said the Wolverines can feed off.

“It’s not a shocker — they don’t like us, we don’t like them,” Johnson said. “Being able to go into Columbus and embrace that villain role, even embrace being the underdog in a moment like this is something that is very motivating. It’s something that every guy in the locker room can look at and look up to.”

The Wolverines have faced top competition throughout the season, with Texas in Game 2 and in the final four regular season games, No. 1 Oregon, then-No. 8 Indiana and now, No. 2 Ohio State. The defense has played well the last few games and the offense, which has struggled this season, scored 50 points against Northwestern which has given Michigan some confidence this week.

Ohio State has a potent offense and rank 10th nationally, averaging 37.8 points, but Michigan’s defense is No. 23 overall, allowing 316.3 yards a game, is No. 4 against the run and has been showing improvement in defending the pass. The Wolverines had a season-best six sacks against Northwestern and also had two interceptions while holding the Wildcats to 10 yards rushing. Northwestern, though, is ranked 17th among 18 teams in the Big Ten, so it’s difficult to use that as a barometer. A more important statistic came at Indiana two weeks earlier when Michigan’s defense held the Hoosiers to 18 yards in the second half.

“Throughout the season, the execution might not have been there, but the physicality was always there,” Johnson said. “If we want to go out and win this game, we have to make sure we’re physical, and we have to make sure we’re doing our job.”

Quarterback Davis Warren will make his fifth-straight start and eighth of the season at Ohio State. He was asked what a win against the Buckeyes would mean for the Wolverines.

“Whether we were 1-10 or 11-0 at this point, beating Ohio State is beating Ohio State, and that’s one of our goals for the year,” Warren said Monday. “We’re not going to win this football game by playing super emotional or not having control of ourselves and trying to play with a chip on our shoulder, because I think that’s an easy way to lose the football game is to not be emotionally stable.

“You’re starting, you’re playing at Michigan for a reason and with your talent and abilities and proper preparation, you’re more than capable of being a great football player and winning football games here as a part of a team. We’re gonna go in there with full confidence we’re able to come out with a win.”

Ohio State’s defense is No. 1 nationally, yielding an average 241.7 yards, and is No. 1 in scoring, allowing an average 10.7 points. The Buckeyes are No. 3 in rush defense (90.0), No. 4 in passing yards allowed (151.7), and No. 2 in red-zone defense.

Sherrone Moore is in his first year as Michigan head coach, but this is not his first time leading the Wolverines against Ohio State. He was acting head coach last season in the win over Ohio State as then-coach Jim Harbaugh served the final game of a three-game suspension.

Moore said Monday that point spreads and records don’t matter when the two teams play. He said the players are instilled with a belief they can win and pull the upset.

“This game is all bets are off,” Moore said. “The guys are prepared mentally, physically to go attack.”