The Michigan Wolverines claw their way into the Horseshoe to face their hated rivals, the Ohio State Buckeyes. The grudge match is scheduled to begin on Saturday, November 26th at High Noon ET. The annual rivalry can be seen on the ABC Network for your viewing pleasure. As of now, the Buckeyes are -6.5 point favorites and the game’s total is at 45.5.
In a rivalry that dates back to 1897, it comes as little surprise that so much is riding on this match-up. The Buckeyes and Wolverines are pretty evenly matched, but Ohio State has the luxury of playing the game at home.
Things are simplified for Ohio State, win this game and your in the College Football Playoffs. For Michigan, they need a road win and then another victory in the conference title game to be assured of their bid into the final four.
#3 Michigan (10-1):
Without their starting signal-caller, things haven’t been all that peachy for the Wolverines in their last few outings. They suffered their first defeat of the year to Iowa two weeks ago, then found themselves behind at halftime to Indiana. Fortunately, the Wolverines came back and found a way to win that contest 20-10 with back-up John O’Korn under-center.
It turns out that starting quarterback Wilton Speight has a broken collar bone and is unlikely to play against the Buckeyes this weekend. Coach Jim Harbaugh is being tight-lipped about the situation, but experts are expecting back-up John O’Korn to take all the snaps. In his few appearances this season, O’Korn has compiled 20 completions for 173 yards and with two touchdowns and no interceptions.
The Wolverines will certainly look to run the ball early and often against Ohio State on Saturday. De’Veon Smith will see plenty of action against the best front seven that he will see all year. This year, Smith has carried the rock 144 times for 750 yards and a team-high 10 touchdowns.
Three other tail backs share carries out of the back field for the Wolverines. Combined, they have tallied 213 more carries for 1,300 yards and 14 more scores. Outstanding athlete Jabril Peepers will also see a few runs his way. Since playing both ways, Peppers has racked up 163 yards and three scores.
When John O’Korn needs to move the pigskin through the air, he will look to three pass catchers to get the job done. Wide receivers Amara Darboh and Jehu Chesson have conspired for 73 grabs for over 1,200 yards and eight touchdowns. Tight-end Jake Butt gets in his two-cents worth, snatching 38 passes for 458 yards and four scores.
The Wolverines’ defense is allowing the fewest yards per game in the nation at 245.6. Michigan ranks first in the country against the pass, allowing only 111 yards a game. Finally, the talented unit sits third in the nation against the rush, giving way to only 96 yards a game.
#2 Ohio State (10-1):
The Buckeyes have strung together four victories since being upset by the Penn State Nittany Lions. But a couple of those weren’t easy, including last week’s match against the Michigan State Spartans. In that game, Ohio State denied a 2-point conversion attempt that secured a 17-16 victory.
J.T. Barrett has definitely gotten his ducks in a row since the loss to the Nittany Lions. The Buckeyes man-under-center has thrown seven touchdown passes without an interception over his last three games. In fact, Barrett threw in a 100 yard rushing game against the Spartans for good measure.
In 2016, Barrett has amassed over 2,300 yards through the air, over 700 over the ground and 32 total touchdowns to show for his efforts. Barrett has only eight interceptions on the season.
Running backs Mike Weber and Curtis Samuel have overwhelmed opposing defenses this year for Urban Myers’ offense. The duo has rumbled for almost 1,700 yards on 250 attempts and have reached the end zone 15 times. Samuel is also the Buckeyes leading receiver, totaling 61 catches for another 790 yards and seven more scores.
Besides Curtis Samuel, there is no wide outs that have any numbers that jump out at you. J.T.Barrett spreads the ball around to about seven different pass catchers. Over the course of the year, they have racked-up about 130 catches for over 1,300 yards and 17 touchdowns. Noah Brown leads the group with seven end zone appearances.
Against Michigan State, the Buckeyes allowed 207 rushing yards and two of the three longest plays from scrimmage that they gave up all year. Other than that hiccup, the Buckeyes have been stellar in 2016, ranking fifth in the nation in total defense (283 ypg). They also rank fourth in the country allowing only 13 points a game.
Trends and Notes:
The Wolverines are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games overall.
The Buckeyes are 2-5 ATS in their last 7 games overall.
The Over is 6-1 in the Wolverines last 7 road games.
The Under is 4-1 in the Buckeyes last 5 home games.
Over is 4-1 in the schools’ last 5 meetings.
Game Prediction:
The Michigan Wolverines know exactly what this match-up against their hated rivals mean. Not only does it solidify that their program is back, but moves them one contest away from a chance at the College Football Playoffs.
Ohio State has proven to the nation that they can reload, even with as many departures as they had from last years outstanding team. Once again, the Buckeyes face a big game with the same implications on the line that the Wolverines have.
Without Wilson Speight, Las Vegas has set this line at 6.5 points in favor of the Buckeyes. With these two defenses, it’s no wonder the total sits at 45.5. That fact of the matter is, odds-makers don’t know which Ohio State team will show up or which is that football is a team sport and john O’Korn has plenty of talented teammates that could make the difference all on their own. Once again think dog, and take Michigan to cover the 6.5 points at the Horseshoe.
