It’s never too early to talk about Michigan-Ohio State, even if the game is more than a week away.

The buildup begins Saturday, right after No. 2 Ohio State visits Illinois, and No. 12 Michigan hosts Wisconsin.

The Buckeyes are trying to go 12-0 for the first time in school history, while the Wolverines (8-2) plan to show up in Columbus, Ohio, on Nov. 23 playing their best football of the season.

Should each win Saturday, the stage would be set for one of college football’s top rivalries to determine whether Ohio State gets a chance to play in the BCS national title game in the Fiesta Bowl on Jan. 3.

The Buckeyes are first in the latest BCS standings; the top two teams in the Dec. 8 final rankings qualify for the title game in Tempe, Ariz. Two more wins and Ohio State plays for its first national title since 1968.

It’s tough for the Buckeyes not to look ahead.

“Twelve-and-0 is not going to be as sweet as 13-0, so we’ve got to focus on the moment,” Buckeyes linebacker Matt Wilhelm said. “In the snap of a finger, it could all be taken away. We realize that.”

Last week, Ohio State barely made it to 11-0. Craig Krenzel’s fourth-down, 37-yard touchdown pass to Michael Jenkins with 1:36 left gave the Buckeyes a 10-6 victory against Purdue. It was yet another tough road win ” three of Ohio State’s four road victories have been by a combined 13 points.

The Wolverines averaged 45 points in winning their last two games against Michigan State and Minnesota. Their only losses came against top 10 teams Notre Dame and Iowa.

“Our goals are still ahead of us,” Michigan quarterback John Navarre said. “We want to win out the last four games in November.”

In other Top 25 games, it’s No. 4 Oklahoma at Baylor, No. 4 Texas at Texas Tech, No. 6 Iowa at Minnesota, No. 7 Georgia at Auburn, Arizona State at No. 8 USC, No. 10 Alabama at No. 14 LSU, Nebraska at No. 11 Kansas State, and North Carolina at No. 15 Florida State.

Also, it’s No. 16 Penn State at Indiana, Iowa State at No. 17 Colorado, No. 19 Maryland at Clemson, South Carolina at No. 20 Florida, No. 21 Colorado State at San Diego State, No. 22 North Carolina State at Virginia and Washington at No. 23 Oregon.

Several conference races could be decided:

ACC: Florida State gains at least a share of the title with a victory against North Carolina. A Seminoles’ win and a Maryland loss to Clemson makes Florida State the outright champ and clinches a spot in a BCS bowl game.

Big East: The next big game is Nov. 21, when No. 18 Pittsburgh visits No. 1 Miami.

Big Ten: Ohio State and Iowa are unbeaten in league play and would be co-champs.

Big 12: With a victory against fading Iowa State, Colorado clinches the North and qualifies for the league title game Dec. 7. Oklahoma holds the edge over Texas in the South thanks to a victory against the Longhorns.

SEC: Georgia clinches the East with a win at Auburn ” or if Florida loses to South Carolina. If Georgia wins, then LSU would clinch the West with a victory against Alabama. The division winners play in the SEC title game. The Crimson Tide are ineligible for the SEC title.

Pac-10: First-place Washington State is off, but Southern Cal needs a win against Arizona State to keep its slim title hopes alive.