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Michigan center Jack Miller, an Ohio native, doesn't like Ohio State. But his reasons aren't what you might think they are.

(Melanie Maxwell | MLive.com)

ANN ARBOR -- Like a lot of Michigan players over the years, Jack Miller can't stand Ohio State.

But his path to Buckeye hatred is a tad different than your average Wolverine's.

Miller's late father, P.J., grew up in Ohio and became best friends with former Cleveland Browns head coach Rob Chudzinski -- who was eventually the best man in P.J.'s wedding. But Miller's dislike for the Buckeyes has nothing to do with the state of Ohio.

And everything to do with, you guessed it ...

The Miami Hurricanes.

"I think I'll say it in the most diplomatic way I can: I'm not a big fan of Ohio State," Miller said earlier this week. "I never have been, ever since they beat Miami in the 2002 national championship, I've disliked them.

"I don't like The Horseshoe. I don't like 'Carmen Ohio.' That's kind of how I feel."

Chudzinski, of course, was Miami's offensive coordinator at the time. Miller went with the family allegiance over home state pride.

And never turned back.

"(That wasn't pass interference in overtime), absolutely not," Miller says. "The Hurricanes were on the field celebrating, bad call.

"I didn't really dislike Ohio State until that game."

Miller, Michigan's junior center, will start his first game in the Michigan-Ohio State rivalry on Saturday (noon, ABC), more than a decade after Jim Tressel and Maurice Clarett broke his heart.

His dislike for Ohio State has only grown since he's been in Ann Arbor, of course, and it touches just about every area of his life.

Miller's current girlfriend is actually an Ohio State student. But on Saturday, he says she'll be wearing maize and blue.

"(She's rooting) for Michigan," he says.

Would it be a deal breaker if she wasn't?

"Yes."

Miller's one of 23 players on Michigan's roster from the state of Ohio, so he's far from the only player with a unique story when it comes to Michigan-Ohio State.

Sophomore offensive lineman Kyle Kalis was an Ohio State commit at one point, but ultimately changed his mind and came to Michigan.

Linebacker Joe Bolden, who played at Colerain High School in Cincinnati, committed to Michigan in the spring of 2011. When Urban Meyer took the Ohio State job later that year, new Ohio State assistant Kerry Coombs -- a former Colerain High School head coach -- told the Buckeyes' new boss about Bolden. And interest grew.

Ohio State wanted to offer, but Bolden told them don't bother.

"My word is my word," he says.

In total, 135 players between both teams hail from either Michigan or Ohio State.

Everyone has a story when it comes to this game. And, for most of these guys, it's more than just a game.

No matter what precedes it.

"Growing up in Michigan, this game's always been my favorite game to watch," said Michigan senior defensive end Brennen Beyer, who is from Canton, Mich. "Playing in it, that's pretty cool, too. It's just so much weight in one football game. Two great programs.

"There's just so much going into it, so much history, so much tension in one rivalry. It's awesome. It's a game you want to play in."

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