The 2006 edition of the Michigan-Ohio State rivalry may have the No. 1 vs. No. 2 hype, but the Big Ten Conference might not be what is today without the controversy surrounding The Game in 1973.

"It was the most significant game in Big Ten history," said Michael Rosenberg, a Detroit Free Press columnist who is writing a book about the ten-year War - the decade Michigan coach Bo Schembechler faced Ohio State coach Woody Hayes. "One team had to win, and (it) would go to the national championship."

When the players trotted off the field after a 10-10 tie on that fateful Nov. 24 day, they all thought the same thing: The Wolverines were going to go to the Rose Bowl.

The legendary Hayes even admitted after the game that "we knew we had to win to go," when he was asked about his decision to throw the ball late in the contest.

But the conference athletic directors had other ideas. They voted 6-4 to send Ohio State to the Rose Bowl over Michigan.

According to Rosenberg, the athletic directors of the other Big Ten schools didn't appreciate Michigan Athletic Director Don Canham.

"He was 20 years ahead of his time," Rosenberg said. "They weren't as creative or successful as he was. He was politically unbelievably savvy, and keeping Michigan from the bowl game was one way they could beat him."

Canham had already upset his colleagues when he nixed Northwestern's plan to host the Chicago Bears games for the season.

Because of the tie, the athletic directors had to choose between the two undefeated teams to fill the Big Ten's spot in Rose Bowl. In 1973, the Big Ten had just one team participate in a bowl game.

But Canham wasn't the only cog in the wheel that turned the tide toward Ohio State.

A conspiracy theory developed shortly after the conclusion of the contest. After Michigan starting quarterback Dennis Franklin left the game with a broken collarbone, Big Ten Commissioner Wayne Duke called Michigan source to ask about Franklin's condition. Duke claimed he called out of kindness, but rumors circled that he called the Big Ten athletic directors and told them to vote for Ohio State because the Buckeyes had a better chance of winning in the Rose Bowl.

But Rosenberg points out the irony of the situation. Hayes didn't even trust his own quarterback to throw the ball. Taking a 10-0 lead into the second half, Hayes felt comfortable running the ball. His refusal to go to the air infuriated his players and coaches. They felt if they had thrown the ball, they would have played for a National Championship.

"If he had stuck to the original gameplan, Ohio State probably would have won," Rosenberg said. "He had a tendency to cling to the rushing game in close games."

Hayes didn't, and he thought he had lost his chance at a bowl game. But, much to his and Schembechler's surprise, Ohio State got the nod.

From the moment the decision was passed down, Schembechler took up the fight for his players, who he thought deserved the Rose Bowl bid. He told his squad not to worry about it, that he would do the talking.

The controversy still resounds 33 years later. At Monday's press conference, Schembechler ranted over the outcome, calling it "the greatest disappointment of my career."

Still, Schembechler credits the debacle following that game as the reason that Big Ten teams are playing in other bowl games. Since 1975, the Wolverines have played in 31 bowl games, including 12 Rose Bowls.

Even more intriguing is the contrasting situations of the 1973 and 2006 teams. The loser of the 1973 game got to go home, but this season's loser gets the Rose Bowl as a consolation prize.

So, while this year seems like it holds all of the cards as the best game in the storied Michigan-Ohio State rivalry, it may never have the off-the-field repercussions that the 1973 showdown created.