No. 53 - Number 1 vs. Number 2
Since the AP Poll began in 1939, there have been only five times* that two teams ranked Numbers 1 & 2 from the same conference have met in the regular season. Two of the occurrences happened in the Big Ten.
November 18, 2006; Columbus, OH --- #1 Ohio State 42 #2 Michigan 39
The ABC/ESPN Juggernaut hyped this game as Judgement Day. The death of Bo Schembechler on the eve of the game put a weird spin on the weekend. In the end, it was a hell of a game between two very even teams. After the bowl losses to Florida and USC (and three years down the road), it seems silly to think that a rematch would have been the best matchup for the MNC. Immediately after the game though, it didn't seem so far fetched.
October 19, 1985; Iowa City, IA --- #1 Iowa 12 #2 Michigan 10
I don't know if Rob Houghtlin has paid for a beer in Iowa since. As Brent Musberger (who did play by play for both of these games) notes at the five minute mark, this was only the second time that Bo Schembechler lost consecutive games to an opposing coach - the first was Woody Hayes. Iowa would lose at Ohio State two weeks later and lose to UCLA in the Rose Bowl to finish 10-2. Michigan would tie Illinois two weeks later and then go on to beat Nebraska in the Fiesta Bowl to finish 10-1-1.
*
| Date | #1 | Score | #2 | Score | Location |
| December 6, 1969 | Texas | 15 | Arkansas | 14 | Fayetteville, AR |
| November 25, 1971 | Nebraska | 35 | Oklahoma | 31 | Norman, OK |
| October 19, 1985 | Iowa | 12 | Michigan | 10 | Iowa City, IA |
| November 21, 1987 | Nebraska | 7 | Oklahoma | 17 | Lincoln, NE |
| November 18, 2006 | Ohio State | 42 | Michigan | 39 | Columbus, OH |