ANN ARBOR -- Michigan's season has come down to one game.
If it beats undefeated Ohio State, it will have bragging rights in its biggest rivalry and something to build on as it heads for bowl season and 2014.
Lose to the Buckeyes, and a year that started with such promise ends with losses to Michigan State and Ohio State, a losing record in the Big Ten and a trip to a meaningless bowl game.
One thing, though. Don't tell anyone at Schembechler Hall that the only thing it has to play for is ending Ohio State's 23-game winning streak. The Wolverines don't want to face that fact.
"We've never mentioned it, and I won't," Brady Hoke said at his weekly press conference. "That's not what this game is about. It's about us playing our best football for our seniors and the greatest rivalry in sports. That's what it is."
Senior tackle Taylor Lewan agreed, saying that he's not focusing on anyone but his teammates as he goes into his last game at Michigan Stadium.
"This is not about Ohio, this is about Michigan," he said, following team tradition in refusing to refer to Ohio State by its actual name. "The University of Michigan with 134 years of Michigan football. The most wins in college football. I'm talking about that right now.
For Lewan, it would be natural to have regrets about the last 12 months. He turned down a chance to go to the NFL in a year when he would have probably be the first pick in the draft. Instead, he came back to Michigan to try to win his first Big Ten championship, only to see the season fall apart around him.
To make things worse, it's Lewan's offensive line that has been Michigan's biggest problem. While he has played well at left tackle -- he'll still be a high pick in April -- the Wolverines haven't been able to build a line around him. As the only offensive captain and the unquestioned leader of the line, Lewan has taken that personally all year.
Even after all of that, though, he says he wouldn't change a thing.
"People might think I regret coming back as a senior. I absolutely do not," he said. "Being around these guys in the locker room, win or lose, they are my brothers. Being around them for another year, experiencing college for another year, that was huge.
"I know we didn't win the Big Ten championship and didn't get any individual awards, but I'm playing football with my friends. I'm happy with that right now."
More importantly for his future, Lewan thinks this year, even with all the team's setbacks, will help him going forward.
"My body is healthier and I'm in better shape than I have ever been," he said. "I'm taking so much from being around these coaches and this university for another year. I really can't explain how huge that is for me, and even though we didn't have the season we wanted, I'll never regret this year ever."
Now, he and his fellow seniors have to figure out a way to beat Ohio State -- not because they have a shot at ruining the Buckeyes' season, but because that's what Michigan is supposed to do.
"We have to be consistent, and we have to finish plays in all three phases of the game," said defensive back Courtney Avery, one of the defensive captains. "That comes from the seniors and from the captains. We have to pass what we know along to the younger guys and get them on board. They know this is the week.
"It's Ohio week, and you need a pep talk to get ready for this, you shouldn't be a part of this. Anything the coaches feel we need to do and anything the seniors and leaders of this team think we need to do, that's what we're going to do.
"This is all about getting ourselves ready to play a perfect game on Saturday."
