A fight between No. 2 Ohio State and No. 5 Michigan was billed as one of the biggest bouts of the season. ESPN’s College GameDay was on hand, as was FOX’s Big Noon pregame show. The winner went to the Big Ten title game and kept its College Football Playoff hopes alive. Stakes for a Wolverine-Buckeye game were somehow even larger than normal.

And, yet, The Game still delivered. Michigan ended an 8-game losing streak with the snow falling and the crowd on hand going crazy. It was an instant classic in a series filled with them.

The overnight ratings reflect exactly that.

The 9.1 metered market rating for the game was the best for a college football game all year long, according to FOX Sports’ EVP Michael Mulvihill, and was the best for a college football game on FOX all-time.

Michigan won 42-27 to earn a berth in the Big Ten championship game next Saturday. The Wolverines (11-1, 8-1 Big Ten) will play the West division-winning Iowa Hawkeyes (10-2, 7-2 Big Ten). Kickoff at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis is set for Saturday, Dec. 4, at 8 p.m. ET on FOX.