Ohio State football coach Jim Tressel preaches to his team the importance of taking a game-by-game approach.

But even Tressel admits there is always one game he has in the back of his mind, no matter where the Buckeyes are in the season.

“The Michigan game is not just another game,” Tressel said. “All of us involved have a chance to be part of the history of this rivalry. It’s the greatest college football rivalry out there.”

Apparently, Tressel isn’t the only one with that belief. According to an ESPN.com poll, the OSU-Michigan rivalry was voted best sports rivalry of the 20th century, edging out other matchups like Muhammad Ali-Joe Frazier and North Carolina-Duke.

This year’s match-up is extremely important, a Buckeye win would put OSU in the national championship game. The national spotlight will be on Columbus Saturday as both ESPN College Gameday and ESPN Radio will be broadcasting live from Ohio Stadium.

While the OSU-Michigan battle may have been voted the top matchup in all of sports, it is not the only rivalry in college football.

Topping that list is the annual matchup between Alabama and Auburn, which literally divides a state. The “Iron Bowl” is considered by many to be one of the most heated rivalries as the two schools generally hate each other. From 1907 to 1948, the two teams did not play each other because of various arguments between the two schools.

“People around here really don’t love anything about Auburn,” said Alabama football coach Dennis Franchione. “This is one game that we always want to win.”

Another rivalry that parallels Alabama-Auburn is Texas-Texas A&M. While these two schools generally don’t like each other, tragedy brought them together last season. Each year, students on the Texas A&M campus build a towering bonfire to bring students together in support of the annual matchup.

However, last year, the towering pile of wood collapsed during construction, killing 12 people. During the game, flags were at half-staff throughout the state and the visiting Texas band played “Amazing Grace” as a tribute to the victims. A&M won 20-16.

“It’s one of the great rivalries in all of football,” Texas football coach Mack Brown said. “There is mutual respect between both schools and fans really get into the rivalry.”

The Texas-Texas A&M and Auburn-Alabama might have the most highly contested battles between top ranked team, but no rivalry is more tradition-laden than Army-Navy. Its meaning has diminished over the years because of the lack of success the both schools have had.

While the games might not be against top-notch teams, this rivalry’s best memories come long after the final whistle blows. No matter who wins, members from both teams congregate together and sing the two schools’ songs.

Players also know that in only a few short months, their opponents will become their teammates when military commitments begin.

But all these rivalries pale in comparison to the matchup between Montana and Montana State. This series between Division I-AA teams is the longest uninterrupted series in college football, spanning 102 years.

Like Auburn-Alabama, the battle of Montana generally splits the state in half, with no one being able to support both teams.

“When you travel through the state of Montana, you sense the game is more than life and death,” said Montana State football coach Mike Kramer. “It’s more than a sporting event. I don’t know if that’s healthy. I don’t think it’s healthy for either school to see the acrimony that flows as a result of this rivalry in football and football alone.”

The hatred is so deep that fights between opposing fans are a common occurrence in the stands. For example, in 1958, Montana students sprayed Montana State fans with a fire hose to keep them from tearing down the goal posts. Punches were also thrown, but no serious injuries were reported.

“I’m reading all of these articles from the past 100 years and it seems like there is a fight in every game in the stands,” said Montana football coach Joe Glenn. “I don’t know what it is about the game. It’s like the Hatfields and McCoys. It’s incredible.”