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COLUMBUS — Rory Nicol admits he didn't truly understand the Ohio State-Michigan rivalry when he first arrived in Columbus from western Pennsylvania.

Sure, when he joined the Buckeyes he saw the motivational signs around the football complex, heard coach Jim Tressel speak about the game and listened to former coach Earle Bruce give his traditional fiery pep talk the week of the game.

But like Marcus Freeman, the linebacker from Wayne High School, Nicol initially thought Bruce was some "crazy" old coot:

"He's older and always uses this word 'whammy.' That's what he calls a big hit. Well, I didn't really know what he was talking about until my very first play against Michigan freshman year.

"I was on kickoff return and when I ran back to set the wedge, Ernest Shazor — their All-American safety — knocked me into the third week of my junior year. That's the hardest I ever been hit in my life. ... Now I knew a whammy."

Freeman laughed and nodded when he heard the story: "I can remember waking up the next Sunday and thinking, 'Man, did I get in a car wreck? What happened to my body?' "

The two seniors were sharing stories this week as they got ready for today's Nov. 22 game between Ohio State and Michigan.

"The loss to (Southern California) hurt this year and the one to Penn State hurt even more," Freeman said. "But for this game, you get up as if both teams were 10-0. To me, the rivalry makes this the biggest game in college football."

That's why Nicol said his gold pants mementos — the charm OSU players get when they beat Michigan — are given to his dad for safe-keeping: "He's gotten them hidden somewhere, maybe in a safe with the other things I consider valuable in life."

Like what?

Nicol shrugged and smiled: "Well, there's my gold pants, a couple of (OSU) rings ... and maybe $10."

He also now values Bruce's sense of history, his passion and his love of all things Buckeye. Last Sunday, the old coach warned the players they should not overlook the 3-8 Wolverines.

He made his point by telling them about the 1969 game — how Ohio State had the team Woody Hayes considered his best-ever, how the Bucks were favored by 17 points over a Michigan team guided by a first-year coach — Bo Schembechler — and how the Wolverines upset OSU 24-12.

"Coach Bruce is so intense about this game," Freeman said. "In his perfect world the score would be 1,000-0 (Ohio State)."

And yet Freeman said on the part of him and many of his teammates there's no season-long hatred of Michigan. He was recruited by the Wolverines, understands their history and finds himself checking their scores.

"We want them to win every week so they're undefeated when they play us. I want them to be at their best and us to be at our best. I want this game to be the best it can be.

"I don't think there'll be any place in my life — whether it's in the NFL or in some job — that will be this big, that will be cherished by everybody involved in it. This game really leaves a mark on you."

Black and blue, and otherwise.