November 16, 2006

LANSING - Governor Jennifer M. Granholm and Ohio Governor Bob Taft today agreed to a friendly wager on this Saturday's unprecedented contest between rivals the University of Michigan Wolverines and the Ohio State University Buckeyes. 
 
"Shouts of ‘Go Blue' will be heard throughout Michigan on Saturday," Granholm said.  "We are confident the Wolverines will return home to Ann Arbor to the chants of ‘Hail to the Victors.'"
 
The winning governor will receive a basket of the losing state's finest food products, which will be donated to charity.  In the unlikely event Ohio State wins, Governor Granholm will send a gift basket that includes a case of Faygo Red Pop, Gerber baby food, Jiffy Mix, and products from Zingerman's Delicatessen.  The basket will also contain a sweatshirt from the University of Michigan.
 
With a Wolverine victory, Governor Granholm will receive a basket containing Ohio food products, including chocolate buckeyes.

Ben and Perry Feigenson began producing Faygo soda in Detroit in 1907, and it remains a popular beverage in Michigan today.  Gerber baby food was started in 1928 on the production lines of the Fremont Canning Company in Fremont, Michigan.  Jiffy Mix is produced by the Chelsea Milling Company, which has been milling flour in Chelsea, Michigan for over one hundred years. Zingerman's Delicatessen is an Ann Arbor institution opened in 1982 by Paul Saginaw and Ari Weinzweig. 
 
This is the 103rd meeting between the Michigan and Ohio State football teams, with the Wolverines leading the series 57-39-6.  The winner of the game will also be named the 2006 Big 10 Champion and get an automatic bid into this year's national championship game.
 
The game will be played at 3:30 on Saturday, November 18, at Ohio Stadium in Columbus, Ohio.