BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Cue the media circus.

Cue the unwavering attention of the sports world.

The final cobblestone has been laid on the road to Armageddon. No. 2 Michigan and No. 1 Ohio State are entering their annual rumble undefeated.

After thrashing a seemingly dangerous Indiana team 34-3, the Wolverines appear primed and ready for what could be the most monumental game in the history of college football's most storied rivalry.

Here's what's at stake on Nov. 18:

-The opportunity to finish the regular season undefeated.

-The chance to knock off the Buckeyes for the first time since 2003.

-An outright Big Ten title.

-A guaranteed spot in the BCS National Championship game.

"It feels great," Michigan running back Mike Hart said. "It'll probably be the biggest game of everyone's lives on our team. It's a huge game. Undefeated. They're undefeated. We're playing for the Big Ten championship and a chance for the National Championship. I don't think there's a bigger game out there."

Coming off a lackluster 34-26 victory over Ball State, the Wolverines (7-0 Big Ten, 11-0 overall) needed a strong performance on Saturday to ramp up to the looming showdown in Columbus. They delivered. From the outset, Michigan smashed an obviously overmatched Hoosier squad.

After receiving the opening kickoff, Michigan marched down the field on a methodical 10-play, 66-yard drive that concluded with a one-yard Adrian Arrington touchdown reception.

Then, the Wolverines' vaunted defense - which was noticeably fired up after letting up against Ball State - forced two incompletions and a sack, setting the stage for another powerful Michigan drive. In nearly identical fashion, the Wolverines attacked the Hoosier defense for an 11-play, 62-yard campaign ending in a four-yard rumble by Hart for a second score.

After Northwestern and Ball State hung tight with Michigan the last two weeks, the Wolverines wanted to make an early statement. And before Indiana (3-4, 5-6) had a positive play from scrimmage, Michigan boasted a 14-0 lead.

"It was important," Hart said. "We want to start fast. You always want to start fast, but we knew we had to, because we started off the last couple of games slow. So we knew we had to come out there and try to score quick as an offense."

Michigan didn't ease up after accelerating out of the gate. Two big plays by fifth-year senior Steve Breaston - a 62-yard touchdown reception and an 83-yard punt return score - gave Michigan an insurmountable 28-3 lead early in the third quarter.

While Breaston provided the spark, Michigan continued its season-long trend of controlling the trenches. Hart's 92 yards led the Wolverines' 208-yard rushing performance - their third-straight game with more than 200 yards on the ground.

Meanwhile, the defense returned to its pre-Ball State form, holding Indiana's offense to a season-low 131 total yards. Fifth-year senior linebacker David Harris led the charge with his second consecutive dominating game. He finished with 11 tackles - two for losses - and a sack.

"We played good on both sides of the ball, and special teams," Harris said. "The offense was able to control the clock and run the ball. Steve had a big punt return for a touchdown. The defense, we did our thing and it was a good team effort."

Perhaps most importantly, the Wolverines emerged from the Indiana contest as healthy as they've been in recent memory. Tight ends Tyler Ecker and Mike Massey returned to action for the first time in weeks.

Linebacker Prescott Burgess and running back Kevin Grady didn't make the trip but are expected to be ready for the Ohio State game.

And star wide receiver Mario Manningham played most of the game and caught his first two passes since undergoing arthroscopic knee surgery after the Michigan State game six weeks ago.

"I told (Manningham), 'It's about time you caught a ball,' " Michigan coach Lloyd Carr joked. "But I think he will be full speed as we go into this next week."

With Michigan in complete control, Carr took advantage of the rare opportunity to rest his regulars. Hart, the NCAA leader in rushing attempts, left the game in the third quarter, and the rest of the starters trickled onto the sidelines thereafter.

After weeks of dodging the temptation to look ahead, the Wolverines could finally let their minds wander to the long-awaited showdown in Columbus.

Carr admitted to letting a few thoughts of scarlet and gray creep into his head as the clock wound down at Indiana's Memorial Stadium.

"There was a time in there that we were able to begin to substitute that, yeah, there's thoughts (about Ohio State) that are there," Carr said.