It’s finally here. The Game. It’s the point around which all college football revolves around. The Michigan/Ohio State game has become almost something of a holiday in the two states. So as soon as you’re done celebrating Thanksgiving, put on your favorite school’s sweater and get ready for the greatest weekend in sports.

The rivalry between these two teams creates a lot of emotion, especially with the strong loyalties on both sides. Ohio State is on a current six-game winning streak, the longest they have ever had against Michigan. But the Blue and Maize lead the all-time mark still with a 57-43-6 record against OSU.

The teams first played in 1897 and have played each other at the end of every season since 1935. Through 2009, Ohio State and Michigan have decided the Big Ten Conference championship between themselves on 22 different occasions, and have affected the determination of the conference title an additional 25 times.

But while I’m throwing all these impressive facts at you from the storied history of these two teams, there is a question that needs to be asked. Why is the rivalry between these schools so intense? Part of the reason might be the simple fact that the states are right next to each other. Or could it be that Wolverines urinate on Buckeye trees (Kind of made that last part up, probably). But the most likely reason for this rivalry goes back to the 1830s, when the territory of Michigan and the state of Ohio went to war over the area of Toledo.

The Toledo War, as most people call it, began in 1835 with a dispute over who controlled the land called the Toledo Strip, which contained the Port of Toledo. Ohio claimed it for themselves, while Michigan, which was beginning the process to become a state, said that it had a claim on the land.

Soon the argument got so heated that the two sides sent their militias to Toledo to intimidate the other. A few battles broke out, including one where the two sides fired at each other from across the Maumee River, with Michigan troops on the north bank and Ohio soldiers on the south. One man, a Michigan Sheriff’s Deputy, was killed in the conflict when he was stabbed in the back by an Ohioan during a bar fight in the city.

Eventually the fighting and arguing got so bad that President Andrew Jackson and the federal government had to intervene. After some more arguing, a compromise was finally reached. Ohio would get control of Toledo, while the federal government gave Michigan the Upper Peninsula, which was then part of the Wisconsin territory. Michigan was also allowed to become a state of the union, which it did in 1837.

And the war had even bigger effects on the region then just the borders. It was during this conflict that Michigan got the nickname Wolverines, after the brave animals known for picking fights with animals several times their size, even grizzly bears. In the end, while Ohio won the Toledo area, Michigan walked away with the mineral and lumber rich Upper Peninsula, which became a major source of money for the state. In the end, the only state that lost the war was Wisconsin, which wasn’t even involved in the fight. But they lost all the minerals and money that were to be found in the land they lost to Michigan.

While Michigan and Ohio would continue to argue over borders over the next century, especially with the islands in Lake Erie, they would never again go to war with each other. At least not with guns. Bring in the football teams of the two states’ greatest universities.

Today, a lot of people see the rivalry between these teams as a continuation or modern manifestation of the old war. The emotions and tensions that Michigan and Ohio felt 175 years ago can still be felt on the last day of the college football season, when the Buckeyes and the Wolverines take the field.

So this weekend, sit down and watch The Game. Enjoy the emotions and thrills of watching a game against the two greatest rivals in sports. And if there is anything that we can take from the history of the Toledo War, it is that no matter who wins between the two states, Wisconsin still loses.