Ohio State wins Blood Battle over Michigan for third straight year

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- Although "The Game" has yet to be played, Ohio State already took one victory over rival Michigan this week.

The Ohio State University beat the University of Michigan for the third straight year in the annual Blood Battle, collecting exactly 300 more pints of blood. Over a six-week period, Ohio State and its blood partner Versiti collected blood across central Ohio to secure the victory.

This is the 43rd annual Blood Battle between the rival schools, with Ohio State collecting 1,707 pints and Michigan collecting 1,407. In total, the two schools collected more than 3,100 pints of blood, which Versiti representatives said could end up saving 9,300 lives. The blood collected by Ohio State during 44 blood drives from Oct. 23 to Nov. 27 will benefit patients at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center.

Both Ohio State and Michigan are also competitors in the We Give Blood Drive hosted by Abbott and the Big Ten, which began Sept. 26 and lasts through Dec. 6. The Big Ten competition grants schools one point per blood donation, with the winning school announced at the Big Ten Football Championship Game on Dec. 7.

In the Big Ten competition, Michigan is ahead of Ohio State with 1,826 donors to the Buckeyes' 1,303. Michigan is in third place overall, behind Wisconsin and first-place Nebraska. Ohio State is in fifth behind UCLA. The school with the most donors will win a $1 million award to advance student or community health.