The scramble has started.
Besides preparing to play Penn State this week, University of Michigan football players Steve Breaston, Chad Henne and Ryan Mundy are hustling from teammate to teammate, trying to pin down as many tickets as they can for Saturday's game.
"It's a heated battle,'' Mundy said. "I want to have as many supporters in the stands as possible. Steve is definitely beating me right now, but I need to catch up with him.''
Breaston disagreed, insisting he trailed both Mundy and Henne on the ticket front.
"I gotta move on the freshmen fast to get some more tickets,'' he said during Monday's news conference.
For Breaston, Henne and Mundy, who start at wide receiver, quarterback and safety, respectively, the game at Beaver Stadium will be their first - and only - opportunity to play college football in their home state.
In 2001, the last time Michigan played in State College, all three were in high school. When the Wolverines next return to Penn State - in 2008 - the trio will have finished at Michigan.
"I'm excited, I'm really excited,'' Breaston said of the game. "I'm not going to lie.''
Breaston's only prior trip to Beaver Stadium came when he was being recruited by the Nittany Lions.
He watched the Wolverines beat Penn State 20-0. In the recruiting battle for Henne, Penn State finished second to Michigan.
Mundy has never attended a game at Penn State, but he has had an up-close view of 107,282-seat Beaver Stadium, which is second nationally in capacity to Michigan Stadium.
"The stadium is just enormous,'' he said of Penn State's home venue.
"It shoots straight up like that,'' he added, raising his arm. "It can be an intimidating place. But I think we'll be fine.''
History, not to mention Michigan's recent performances, back Mundy's belief.
The No. 4-ranked Wolverines are 6-0, 3-0 in the Big Ten, while unranked Penn State is 4-2, 2-1. In five games in State College, Michigan has lost just once - in 1995.
Since losing to the Nittany Lions in Ann Arbor in 1996, Michigan has reeled off seven consecutive wins in the rivalry. Mundy said if the roles were reversed, he'd be pretty fired up.
"That would be my driving motivation,'' he said. "It would be, man, we haven't beaten these guys in 10 years. That's a decade. I'm sure they're using that as a motivational tool.
"But we just gotta do our best this week to go out and prepare and play a good game.''
Statistically, Michigan and Penn State are comparable in a number of categories. The Wolverines lead the Big Ten in rushing, Penn State is third. Michigan leads the league in rushing defense, Penn State is second. Michigan is No. 2 in total defense, Penn State No. 3.
"I'm very impressed with this Penn State team,'' Michigan coach Lloyd Carr said.
While many of the Wolverines know the Nittany Lion players only from last year's game between the teams, the Michigan players from Pennsylvania can trace a handful of relationships back further. Breaston and Mundy, for instance, who both went to Woodland Hills High School in the Pittsburgh area, closed each season with a game against archrival Penn Hills. That's the high school that Penn State quarterback Anthony Morelli attended.
Mundy clearly remembers two interceptions he had against Morelli, one during Mundy's junior year, the other during his senior year. Woodland Hills won both games.
"He has a live arm,'' Mundy said of Morelli. "He can throw the ball as far as anybody I know. But we did pretty good against him in high school.
"Hopefully, we can carry that over on Saturday.''
