COLUMBUS, Ohio — With just one more day until one of the greatest rivalries in all of sports, there’s a lot of outside noise around this game, most notably the sign-stealing scandal at Michigan. 

What You Need To Know

• The Michigan sign-stealing scandal has brought even more attention and noise to The Game 


• This is the fifth time in history that the teams have met when both have been undefeated


• Former OSU running back, Jeff Logan, played under Woody Hayes and shares stories of Woody joking that Michigan would be watching their practices


• Logan thinks Woody would be furious with all that is going on at Michigan 

Former Ohio State head coaching great Woody Hayes was about as intense as you could get- and talking to a former player, he bumped up that intensity even more on rivalry week.

That’s because the success of a season is often measured on one thing- did the Buckeyes beat the Team Up North? But this year- there’s a lot more going on outside of the game- with Jim Harbaugh not on the sidelines due to a Big Ten suspension over a former staffer accused of stealing opponents' signs. Jeff Logan, a former running back who played under Woody, shared some stories on what Woody would say about Michigan cheating back then.

Woody Hayes shakes Jeff Logan's hand at an Ohio State game. (Photo courtesy of Jeff Logan)

“We were always cautious about what we let out and what they let out and how to try to gain advantages and I think a lot of it was hype more than anything else," Logan said. "I think Woody wanted to make sure that he had our full attention. And there were times where he would share stories with us about I’m sure they’re driving by our practices right now with a telescope and trying to figure out what we’re doing in practice and they’re spying on us. I don’t think any of that was true to be perfectly honest with you, but it went a long way in terms of gaining our attention and making sure we stay focused on the game.”

Woody would tell these stories to get his team fired up. But now with Michigan under investigation for this sign-stealing scandal- what would Woody think about all of this?

Fans, coaches and players alike are passionate about this rivalry. (Spectrum News 1/Brandon Coello)

“Woody would be furious if this kind of distraction was going on around the rivalry because we really didn’t need any kind of that," Logan said. "And I think Woody would be the first one to admit that he would expect none of that from a Bo Schembechler who was coaching that football team.”

It is certainly an added distraction to the game but also fuel to the fire for these Buckeyes to show the nation what they can do.