By Michael SchlossbergThe Daily Northwestern

With a trip to the national championship, a Big Ten Championship, and major bragging rights all on the line, Ohio State outlasted Michigan 42-39 in perhaps the best game of the 103-game series between the two schools.

Ever since taking over the top-two spots in the BCS rankings on Oct. 22, the regular-season finale between the two teams was hyped seemingly without end.

On Saturday, Ohio State (12-0, 8-0) and Michigan (11-1, 7-1) did not disappoint.

After Michigan scored on its opening drive, Ohio State answered with four of the game’s next five touchdowns, taking a 28-14 lead into the locker room.

However, Michigan came out of halftime delivering some punches of its own.

Just one day after the death of legendary Michigan coach Bo Schembechler, the Wolverines intercepted Ohio State quarterback Troy Smith and recovered two poor Buckeyes’ snaps to close the gap to less than a touchdown on three separate occasions.

But ultimately, the Buckeyes were just too much for the Wolverines to handle.

Smith solidified his claim for the Heisman Trophy with an electric performance, completing 29 of 41 passes for 316 yards and four touchdowns.

“The national championship was something aside, was something different from this,” Smith said. “This is The Ohio State University-Michigan game. It’s the biggest game in college football. And today the best team won.”

Michigan, however, might have a legitimate claim of its own to play for the national championship game in a rematch against the Buckeyes.

The Wolverines remained No. 2 in the latest AP rankings released Sunday, undoubtedly creating an interesting debate that will unfold in the next few weeks.

USC jumped to No. 3, Florida placed No. 5 and Notre Dame – which plays USC next week, came in fifth.

“I guarantee if we play, it would be a whole different game,” Michigan running back Mike Hart said. “We should have got them the first time around. We didn’t. If it doesn’t happen, that’s our fault.”

No. 12 Wisconsin 35, Buffalo 3

With a 35-3 victory over Buffalo, Wisconsin finished off its first 11-win regular season in school history.

The Badgers (11-1, 7-1) got off to a very slow start in front of their home crowd on Senior Day, but a pair of touchdowns in the final two minutes of the first half were enough to seal the victory.

Although the Badgers appear to be heading to the Capital One Bowl, some of the players still are hoping something odd will happen in the BCS rankings that would land them in a BCS bowl as the Big Ten’s third team in such a bowl.

“I would say we’re a very good team that deserves as big a venue as we can,” said Wisconsin coach Bret Bielema, the 36-year-old whose successful season came after he took over for retired legendary coach Barry Alvarez in the offseason.

Minnesota 34, Iowa 24

Minnesota became bowl-eligible Saturday with a 34-24 victory over Iowa.

Sitting in last place just three weeks ago, the Golden Gophers (6-6, 3-5) finished their season on a three-game winning streak after losing their first five games on conference play and now find themselves in sixth place in the Big Ten.

Iowa (6-6, 2-6) ended its season on a five-game Big Ten losing streak, an outcome far different from what many expected this season from the Hawkeyes.

Both the Hawkeyes and the Golden Gophers will be competing for spots in the Alamo Bowl and the Insight Bowl.

Purdue 28, Indiana 19

Indiana has been dealt its fair share of disappointment in recent years, but the dose it received on Saturday might very well be the hardest to swallow.

With a 28-19 loss to Purdue (8-4, 5-3), Indiana (5-7, 3-5) eliminated itself from bowl contention by losing its final three games, meaning the Big Ten’s longest bowl drought will continue for at least another season.

Despite four interceptions from Purdue quarterback Curtis Painter, Indiana was not able to overcome four fumbles of its own and will be forced to watch the rest of the season from home, just as it has every year since 1993.

Penn State 17, Michigan State 13

Penn State coach Joe Paterno couldn’t have enjoyed what he saw in the first half as he watched his team’s game against Michigan State (1-7, 4-8) from the press box.

After missing just his second game as the Nittany Lions’ coach last week while recovering from leg surgery Nov. 5 after a sideline injury obtained one day earlier, Paterno made his return, but was forced to witness four first-half fumbles in a sloppy first half.

After taking a 13-7 deficit into halftime, Penn State (8-4, 5-3) tacked on 10 second-half points to come away with the victory.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Reach Michael Schlossberg at [email protected].