The Mid-American Conference Championship Game couldn't host two more different teams.
Western Michigan is undefeated, has a 36-year-old coach who's becoming a cult figure more and more by the day and "Row The Boat," the team's motto, even helped College GameDay make a visit.
On the other side of the field, Ohio is 8-4 with a seasoned, 72-year-old coach and an offense that's sputtering.
The Broncos are currently 18.5-point favorites and, according to ESPN, have a 91.2 percent chance to win the game.
But Ohio has kept any animosity of the underdog status under wraps, at least publicly.
"We are the underdogs and rightfully so," coach Frank Solich said. "Western Michigan has played at a level where they are deserving of all the accolades that they’re getting. We never look at ourselves as favorites when we go in a game, we never look at ourselves as underdogs when we go into a game."
Western Michigan, in all of its MAC wins, has trailed just twice. Its closest conference win was a 45-31 win over Eastern Michigan.
"I’m used to performing in an underdog type of role, and I think I perform better in that type of role," offensive lineman Troy Watson said. "I’ve never been in a situation where I was darling of the nation, and they seem to be that way. Good for them, their M.O. is 'Row The Boat,' but we’re just going to go out there and play our game.”
Watson, a redshirt senior, has never competed in a MAC Championship Game — just like the rest of the team. The last time the Bobcats were in the title game, they led 20-0 at halftime. The Bobcats lost 23-20 to Northern Illinois.
Western Michigan is competing in its first MAC Championship Game since 2000. It will be coach P.J. Fleck's first-ever conference championship game appearance.
“I posted a picture today of a sunken boat, and I put the date December 2nd, 2016," safety Javon Hagan said. "I’m proud of them because as far as being a MAC team, I feel the MAC as a conference is overlooked. As far as the whole ‘Row The Boat’ thing and them being undefeated, hats off to them, they’re a great team. I commend them, but on Friday, we have to win at the end of the day.”
Another factor impacting Friday night is what drives all of college athletics — money.
The payout for the Cotton Bowl, Western Michigan's likely landing spot if it beats Ohio, is $4 million. That money is conference shared. If Western Michigan loses, the payout for the Camellia Bowl, for example, is $100,000.
Essentially, the conference would be millions of dollars richer if the Broncos beat the Bobcats.
"I’ll risk any type of money for this win to be honest," Hagan said. "I don’t wanna lose for the conference. At the end of the day we’re playing for a ring and that’s money to us. Rings by themselves are money."
With a growing national fanbase, Western Michigan has all of the momentum in the world. A win, and Western Michigan will advance to its first New Year's Six bowl game in school history, likely against Penn State.
At the moment, Ohio is facing an uphill battle for its first MAC Championship since 1968. Seemingly every media outlet has selected Western Michigan to win, most by multiple touchdowns.
But don't tell that to the Bobcats. They expect to win.
“Only thing that’s picking up the intensity is the fact that it’s the MAC Championship, not the opponent that we’re playing," Tarell Basham said. "We’re going to size them up like we size everyone else up, and we’re gonna to try to knock ‘em out.”
