This year's crop of Michigan football seniors has a chance to make history.

Not the good kind.

The Wolverines' senior class has yet to beat Michigan State or Ohio State. If they lose to both this year, it would become the first in school history to go winless against the program's top two rivals.

They have a chance to end that skid Saturday when No. 11 Michigan (6-0, 2-0 Big Ten) faces No. 23 Michigan State (4-1, 1-0) at noon on ESPN.

And they know it.

“Right now, the legacy with the seniors in my class is that we're going to have to come back and say we've lost to Michigan State three years in a row, and none of us have beaten Ohio State,” senior defensive end Ryan Van Bergen said this week.

“That's our legacy, like it or not -- good, bad or indifferent. Luckily, we have this year to change some of that, and that's our focus going forward.”

There's a lot on the line this year. Michigan has a chance to move to 7-0 with an off week next on its schedule, followed by a winnable game against Purdue. A victory against the Spartans would put the Wolverines in control of their destiny in the Legends Division.

It would also end a three-year run of futility against Michigan State and erase memories of an overtime loss in the Wolverines' last trip to Spartan Stadium in 2009.

But that's all present-day stuff. There's more on the line than that for these Wolverines.

"Legacy" is a word several players used this week to characterize their feelings heading into this game. They know they'll be remembered for how many Big Ten championships they won and how they fared against Michigan State and Ohio State.

So far, they're an 0-fer.

"It's something that we've thought about and something that's a huge goal for us," senior defensive tackle Mike Martin said. "Your legacy here at Michigan is how you do in big games against rivals and how you do in the league.

"So, Saturday is a big step for us as a team. Going away (on the road), it's going to be a great test for us. I'm excited."

Even the coaching staff, in its first year in Ann Arbor, sympathizes with the players.

Defensive coordinator Greg Mattison was asked if he noticed a special burn to the players this week.

He didn't answer. He just nodded his head.

"I know exactly what they’re going through," he later added. "I feel it every meeting, and I know in my heart what this would mean to these guys because these guys -- I keep saying it -- what they have done since (head coach Brady Hoke's) gotten here is amazing. It really is."

Michigan players have been slow to embrace their 6-0 start, and have talked at length about trying to avoid the late-season swoons that have plagued them the past two years.

It was the Spartans who precipitated those free falls.

In 2009, the Wolverines were 4-0 before losing 26-20 in overtime against Michigan State. They finished 5-7.

They were 5-0 last season before a 34-17 loss to the Spartans. They finished 7-5.

"It has definitely been our turning point," senior tight end Kevin Koger said of the rivalry game. "You've seen it the last couple of years -- it makes or breaks our season."

Will this season be made or broken?

Kyle Meinke covers Michigan football for AnnArbor.com. He can be reached at 734-623-2588, by email at kylemeinke@annarbor.com and followed on Twitter @kmeinke.