The 100-yard war between Michigan and Ohio State has been called the greatest sports rivalry of all time.

In the weeks before the big game - which promises to be even bigger than ever this year, likely pitting a No. 1 versus No. 2 - the rivalry goes beyond a single football game.

For the 25th consecutive year, Alpha Phi Omega, a co-ed service fraternity, and the Red Cross are cosponsoring the UM-OSU Blood Battle, a competition between the schools to collect the most blood.

Unlike the lopsided win record in the on-field rivalry, Michigan's and OSU's all-time Blood Battle record is tied, with each school having won 12 of the past 24 years.

OSU's first drive is today. The University's has already began, but results weren't available as of press time.

"We really want it to be fun for the donors, but it doesn't matter who wins at the end of the day," said Joseph McNevin, the Red Cross's Southeastern Michigan regional representative. "The patients in the hospital will be the winners."

Last year, combined donations totaled more than 4,000 pints, the largest amount of blood given during a drive between any two universities in history.

Although OSU's main campus had 10,000 more undergraduates than the University of Michigan last year, the Buckeyes won by a mere 80 pints for their third victory in a row.

University organizers said they don't consider the close loss a defeat.

"There really are no losers," Blood Battle co-chair Kurt Susdorf said. "It's a good warm-up for the game and a chance for students to have friendly competition to save lives."

There will be 28 separate drives across campus. Many will be in residence halls, and there will be one in the Michigan Union Ballroom every weekday beginning Monday.

Blood Battle co-chair Caitie Hill said each drive has a number of pints it aims to collect. Meeting these goals is not just a strategy to beat OSU, it's an attempt to break previous collection records.

"We've upped some of our goals," Hill said. "We're hoping that will help us pull it off this year."

Organizers are using a new collection method in an attempt to increase the number of pints.

Donors in the Union will have the option of giving blood via automated red cell collection. This option, available for people with blood types B and O, lets donors give double the amount of blood.

"With the process, the donor basically donates two units instead of one, and the plasma is replaced after the process to restore energy," McNevin said.

Because it is a more intensive procedure, only women who are more than 5 feet 1 inch tall and weigh more than 150 pounds and men who are more than 5 feet 5 inches tall and weigh more than 175 pounds may participate.

To donate, you must be in good health, be at least 17 years old and weigh at least 110 pounds. Snacks and juice are provided, but Blood Battle co-chair Mike Diamond stressed the importance of eating well before donating.

Although organizers welcome walk-ins, they encourage donors to make appointments because it helps control long lines.

"One of our problems is that we have too many walk-ins," Susdorf said. "The biggest reward is seeing the student and faculty output and reaching our drive goals, but if we want to collect more than we ever have, we need people to make appointments."

To register, go to www.givelife.org and enter the sponsor code "goblue" to view times and locations and make an appointment.