Finally, the game of the season is near

The wake-up calls were loud and clear last week, and as a result the most anticipated game of the season will become reality.

A week after top-ranked Ohio State and No. 2 Michigan looked shaky, the Buckeyes trounced Northwestern, 54-10, and the Wolverines routed Indiana, 34-3, to set up next week’s showdown between the two.

On the line: a Big Ten championship and a spot in the BCS national championship game Jan. 8.

The Michigan-Ohio State rivalry, contested since 1897, is already among the fiercest in college football, but this will be the first time they have met as the top two teams in the nation.

It will also mark the first time a college football season has featured two games pitting No. 1 vs. No. 2. Ohio State defeated No. 2 Texas, 24-7, on Sept. 9.

“It’s going to be the biggest game of probably everybody’s life on this team,” said Mike Hart, a Michigan running back. “We’re undefeated, they’re undefeated, we’re playing for a Big Ten championship and a chance to go to the national championship, so I don’t think there’s a bigger game out there.”

Last week nearly ruined the fun.

Ohio State (11-0) struggled in a 17-10 victory over Illinois and Michigan (11-0) held on for a 34-26 victory over Ball State. But if those games were scares, Saturday’s were statements.

Ohio State’s 54 points were the most for the Buckeyes since a 72-0 victory over Pittsburgh in 1996. Michigan’s 31-point margin of victory was its largest of the season.

And that means both teams are peaking for the big game.

“How much more special can Ohio State-Michigan be?” Wolverines Coach Lloyd Carr said. “I think this has everything a fan certainly could want. I think it has everything the players, the coaches could want. I think it’s great for the Big Ten Conference, I think it’s great for fans.”

Atlantic Coasting

The murky Atlantic Coast Conference race became a little clearer Saturday when No. 19 Georgia Tech defeated North Carolina, 7-0, and clinched a spot in the ACC title game.

The Yellowjackets opponent probably won’t be decided, however, until No. 18 Wake Forest and No. 23 Maryland meet on Nov. 25.

Wake Forest and Maryland are two of the surprise teams in the nation. Saturday, they defeated traditional powers Florida State and Miami.

The resurgent Demon Deacons improved to 9-1 for the first time in school history with a 30-0 victory over the Seminoles, their first win over Florida State in 23 years. Wake Forest last won in Tallahassee in 1959.

The struggling Seminoles (5-5), meanwhile, hit a new low. Florida State hadn’t been shut out in 232 games, dating to the 1988 opener at Miami.

Maryland’s 14-13 victory over Miami made the Terrapins the first team since Florida in 1985 to defeat the Hurricanes and Florida State in the same season.

They defeated the Seminoles, 27-24, on Oct. 28.

Stick with the plan

Georgia Coach Mark Richt wasn’t very confident heading into his team’s game against No. 5 Auburn.

The Bulldogs, once ranked as high as No. 9 this season, had lost four of their last five games, including embarrassing losses to Vanderbilt and Kentucky.

And on Friday night, Richt began to question the game plan he developed for quarterback Matthew Stafford and the Bulldogs offense.

“I was probably about as low as I have been all season,” Richt said. “I thought that it was the worst thing I had ever seen. I was looking at how I could get Matthew some confidence and I thought this [game plan] was awful.”

So much for gut feelings.

Georgia thumped the Tigers, 37-15, and outgained them, 446 yards to 171.

Perfect 10

Wisconsin’s Bret Bielema became the first Big Ten coach to win 10 games in his rookie year with a 24-21 victory over Iowa. The No. 16 Badgers (10-1, 7-1) need a victory over Buffalo next week for their first 11-win regular season.

Clincher

Nebraska (8-3, 5-2) clinched a berth in the Big 12 Conference title game when Zac Taylor threw a nine-yard touchdown pass to Maurice Purify with 21 seconds left for a 28-27 win over No. 24 Texas A&M.;

It clinched the Big 12 North Division crown, giving the Cornhuskers their first appearance in the conference title game in seven years.

“It was a great win for our program, for our state,” Nebraska Coach Bill Callahan said. “You can’t get any bigger than this.”

Texas (9-2, 6-1) could have clinched a spot as Nebraska’s opponent, but its 45-42 loss to Kansas State means the Longhorns need to win Nov. 24 against Texas A&M; or have No. 17 Oklahoma (8-2, 5-1) lose to either Baylor (4-7, 3-4) or Oklahoma State (6-4, 3-3) over the next two weeks.

Touchdown Terwilliger

Jimmy Terwilliger of Division II East Stroudsberg tied the NCAA record for career touchdown passes during a 56-16 win over Kutztown.

Terwilliger, a senior, threw eight touchdown passes to bring his total to 148, tying the record for all divisions held by Justin Peery of Division III Westminster, Mo.

Terwilliger finished his career with 16,064 yards of total offense, good for third in NCAA history behind Timmy Chang of Hawaii and Steve McNair of Alcorn State.

Record Breakers

Brandon Pace kicked three field goals to set a Virginia Tech record with 19 consecutive successful attempts and the No. 20 Hokies beat Kent State, 23-0. Pace kicked field goals of 34, 37 and 24 yards, and now has the second-longest streak in Atlantic Coast Conference history. Marc Primanti of Maryland made 27 in a row from 1995 to 1996.... Harvard’s Clifton Dawson gained 119 yards in 16 carries to become the Ivy League’s career rushing leader in a 22-13 loss to Pennsylvania. Dawson’s 4,781 yards eclipsed the mark of 4,715 set by Cornell’s Ed Marinaro from 1969 to 1971.

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The Associated Press contributed to this report.

peter.yoon@latimes.com