EAST LANSING, Mich. -- A funny thing nearly happened on the way to The Game weve all been waiting for.Both No. 2 Ohio State and No. 3 Michigan almost spit the bit. The Buckeyes had to intercept a two-point conversion try at Michigan State to escape with a 17-16 victory, while the Wolverines trailed Indiana into the third quarter before pulling away at home.Whew. What a downer it would have been if both teams had suffered their second losses of the season on the Saturday before their long-awaited showdown (ABC, noon ET). ESPNs planned five-hour College GameDay extravaganza from Columbus would have needed a sad trombone soundtrack.But both teams stayed alive in the College Football Playoff chase. It was survive and advance, Big Ten football style. And now we can finally look ahead to a potentially epic confrontation.Its going to be intense, Ohio State defensive end Jalyn Holmes said. The Game of the Century.Well, The Game of the Decade, perhaps. The 2006 meeting, when the Buckeyes and Wolverines were 1-2 in the rankings, will be hard to top. This years version also brings back memories of 1997, when both teams ranked in the top four, and a do-it-all defensive back (Charles Woodson) led Michigan to a national title en route to winning the Heisman Trophy.This will be the first time in a decade that Big Ten and national championship stakes ride on this rivalry. It feels like weve been headed for this since Jim Harbaugh was hired on Dec. 30, 2014. Two days later, Ohio State beat Alabama on its way to a national title.For all the hoopla and hard-earned success Harbaugh has already brought to Ann Arbor, he ultimately will be judged on whether he can beat Ohio State. His first time around didnt go so well, as the Buckeyes won 42-13 last year in the Big House. Michigan has lost 11 of the last 12 in this series.But Harbaugh has the maize and blue back on more equal footing with the Buckeyes. One of the best Big Ten parlor games this year has been comparing scores between the two superpowers. Michigan beat Wisconsin by seven at home. Ohio State needed overtime to beat Wisconsin by seven on the road. The Wolverines trounced Rutgers 78-0, one week after the Buckeyes stomped the Scarlet Knights 58-0. Ohio State hammered Maryland 62-3, exactly three points better than Michigans results against the same Terrapins a week earlier.Now these teams can finally measure up against each other. In the waning moments against Indiana, the Big House crowd starting chanting, Beat Ohio! (At least something remains from the Brady Hoke era.)Ohio State and Michigan, the greatest rivalry in sports, how can it not be in the back of your mind from right after the day you played last year? Michigan senior defensive tackle Ryan Glasgow said. I wouldnt hesitate to say thats the biggest game we play in every year.Its awesome when [the Big Ten title and playoff] comes down to that. It puts a little oomph in it.Neither team aced the playoff eyeball test on Saturday while playing about 70 miles apart. But November weather emphatically arrived in the state of Michigan, bringing wet, blustery conditions best-suited for old-school football. In East Lansing, 30 mph wind gusts made bubble-screen lobs float like bubbles.Buckeyes coach Urban Meyer ran J.T. Barrett 24 times into the teeth of a defense that knew what was coming, while Ohio State mustered just 86 passing yards.Well lose next week if we play like that, Meyer said.The Buckeyes have had some passing game issues this season and must find ways to throw against the nations top pass defense, led by All-American cornerback Jourdan Lewis. Then again, Michigan must deal with an Ohio State defense that grabbed two more interceptions on Saturday (17 for the season) and another pick that didnt officially count, on Michigan States two-point try. The Wolverines may again be without injured quarterback Wilton Speight; John OKorn started against Indiana and struggled to connect with his receivers through snow flurries.There are plenty of compelling storylines to go around. The Big Tens most versatile offensive player (Ohio State H-back Curtis Samuel) goes against its most versatile all-around player (Michigans do-everything LB?Jabrill Peppers, who modeled his game on Woodson). OSU redshirt freshman RB?Mike Weber, whose recruiting battle between the teams sparked Harbaughs infamous tangled web we weave tweet, makes his debut in the rivalry. The Big Tens East Division could be decided on the field, or both teams could stay home and watch Penn State go to Indianapolis.Add it all up, and the usual craziness that already is Michigan-Ohio State week will be ratcheted up to an 11 out of 10.Ive never been in a top-five Michigan game, Holmes said. But we could either both be in the top five or we could both be 0-11. Its still going to be intense.Saturdays struggles will be relegated to a mere footnote if Michigan and Ohio State stage a thriller next week in the Horseshoe. The Game weve all been waiting for is almost here.Its officially rivalry week, Meyer said. Our eyes are forward, and lets go.Fake Soccer Jerseys . -- San Francisco 49ers linebacker Ahmad Brooks was fined $15,570 by the NFL on Wednesday for his hit on Saints quarterback Drew Brees last Sunday. Fake Hockey Jerseys . Jon Montgomerys gold medal in skeleton at the Whistler Sliding Centre and his subsequent auctioning off of a pitcher of beer in the village square elevated him to folk-hero status. https://www.fakejerseys.us.com/ . -- Jacksonville wide receiver Cecil Shorts will likely be a game-time decision whether hell play Sunday in the Jaguars home game against the San Diego Chargers. Replica Jerseys .Y. - General manager Billy King says the Brooklyn Nets are looking to add a big man and confirmed the team worked out centre Jason Collins, who would become the first openly gay active NBA player if signed. Fake NBA Jerseys . McPhee said that Ovechkins father Mikhail is in stable condition after having the surgery this week and is no longer in intensive care. "Weve told him to stay as long as necessary with your dad," he said. Ovechkin and his Russian national team were eliminated from the mens hockey tournament in Sochi on Wednesday with a 3-1 quarter-final loss to Finland.A move to give Shahid Afridi a farewell during the T20Is between Pakistan and West Indies in the UAE has not materialised, with the former captain left out of the squad for the three matches. The PCB confirmed the move had come from selection committee head, Inzamam-ul-Haq, but it fell through in the absence of the board chairman Shaharyar Khan, who is recovering from surgery, and executive committee head Najam Sethi, who is on vacation in England.Afridi had plans to retire at the end of the 2016 World T20 in India and Shaharyar had confirmed this earlier in the year saying, He is also a Pathan and I am also a Pathan and once the agreement is done between two Pathans it cant be changed. However, before the tournament, Afridi revealed that he was reconsidering his retirement due to huge pressure from friends and family.Following Pakistans poor performance at the World T20, and criticism surrounding his leadership, Afridi stepped down as captain but chose to continue playing in the format. However, he has not played for Pakistan since then, with the new selection committee not seeing him as a part of their plans for the side. Afridi had succeeded Mohammad Hafeez as Pakistans T20 captain in September 2014. In his second stint as captain, Afridi led the side to 11 victories in 24 matches but his personal form dipped. He averaged 14.65 during this period with a best of 49, and took 20 wickets.After the 2016 World T20, Afridi turned out for Hampshire in Natwest t20 Blast the scoring 191 runs at 17.36 in 12 matches and taking nine wickets. He also played only one match in the recent domestic National T20 tournament, before pulling out due to fitness concerns. He reportedly underwent an MRI scan on his knee and was later trained in Karachi as a part of injury rehabilitation.dddddddddddd He was also optimistic that he would be selected for the series against West Indies, but he was ignored.However, days after the team announcement, the Urdu newspaper Jang carried a report that claimed Afridi would be selected as the 16th player for the three-match series against West Indies in the UAE, as part of a planned farewell.Afridi hinted at that possibility and his retirement during a media session in Karachi, but the statement was seen as ambiguous.I have put no pressure on the board nor they on me but whatever happens it will be good and set new precedents, Afridi said in a statement in Karachi. I have always noted that in Pakistan there is no tradition of players retiring gracefully, even the big names. Every player wants to go out on a high and I am no different.Players must exit respectfully since the ones who serve the country with distinction deserve honour. I have had a discussion with Inzi bhai (Inzamam-ul-Haq) who is an elder to me and we will do what is beneficial to both Pakistan cricket and my own self. This would allow players to decide themselves when it is the right time for them to retire gracefully and with dignity.Afridis decisions to retire from other formats were also surrounded by uncertainty. His decision to retire from Test cricket, immediately after leading his side to a 150-run loss against Australia at Lords in 2010, was seen as abrupt. His ODI retirement, too, was muddled for some time before he decided to quit the format after the 2015 World Cup. ' ' '