It’s the most important day of the year every year. Nothing compares to it. Not election day, not your birthday, not your anniversary, nothing.
It’s Ohio State and Michigan, and everything else takes a back seat.
This year’s game is a rarity in that the Wolverines have a chance to make it to the Big Ten Championship Game for the first time in school history. They could tie recent Big Ten addition Nebraska in number of appearances. They would still be two behind their little brother, however.
Michigan is currently a 4.5-point favorite and with a win could almost certainly lock up a spot in the College Football Playoffs.
A win for Ohio State, meanwhile, sends them to the Big Ten Championship Game, but even with a win, they will probably top out at the Rose Bowl.
That, of course, should be fine for all involved since it ruined Michigan’s dream season.
Let’s get to picking.
Brandon Zimmerman
Our whole lives we’ve been told that when it comes to The Game, no stats or win/loss records matter. Both teams are going to play out of their minds while giving it their best effort of the season. As a Buckeye fan, this should make me feel good as we head into Saturday, but it doesn’t. For the first time since I can remember, I am going into this game fully expecting a loss.
I’m not one of those negative fans who thinks OSU is horrible no matter what they do on the field, it’s simply a matchup nightmare. Michigan is going to do what they always do. They are going to line up and smash you in the mouth with the run game. Against an Ohio State defense who acts like they’ve never seen a hand-off before, the Wolverines will and should continue to do just that. As we’ve seen, this could lead to a long day.
The Ohio State offense will score points. They will score more points than any offense has scored against Michigan this year. They will be somewhere in the 400-500 yard range of total offense. Unfortunately, they will come up short of overcoming the major defensive liabilities. The Rose Bowl is a pretty darn good consolation prize though.
Michigan 41, Ohio State 27
Adam Borland
I’ve gone a lot of different directions with my input on the staff picks this season. For TCU, I compared the team to the animal mascot. I suppose I could tell you that the wolverine is a ferocious creature that is known to have strength out of proportion to its size. It’s also not really found in the state of Michigan anymore. But, those aren’t terribly relevant to The Game.
On a couple of occasions, I’ve written about the game from an emotional standpoint. “The Buckeyes are going into this one angry because of such and such.” Well, they’ll undoubtedly be emotional this week, going against their rival. Urban and company put a tremendous amount of focus on this game every year, and this season probably even more so.
Since I’m a stat nerd, I’ve thrown around fun facts and interesting statistics in many of the other weeks. This week, you’ve probably already heard most of those. Heck, I already wrote about a lot of them in my weekly statistical projection post on Wednesday.
Instead, I’ll just say this: Michigan is a very good football team. Their defense is arguably the best in the country. Their offense isn’t terribly exciting, but when you hold teams to less than two scores in most games, it doesn’t need to be. With that said, despite what the national media and even a large portion of the Buckeye fanbase might tell you, Ohio State is a pretty good football team too. In order to beat the Wolverines, they’ll need to have their best game of the year, and I’m of the belief that they do. I think it’s a close one and that I’ll need oxygen by the end of regulation, but that the Buckeyes come out on top.
Ohio State 24, Michigan 23
Caroline Rice
THE Game is here and the Buckeyes are excited and motivated for this game. I really think Ohio State has a chance…when I try to forget the inconsistent performances and the fact that they are underdogs.
I don’t think Michigan is an unstoppable team, they didn’t look good against Penn State, or Indiana. Yes, they are a good team, but so is Ohio State. It just depends on which Ohio State team shows up. The offense and defense are never clicking at the same time, and that needs to happen in this game.
It’s hard to say whether or not the Buckeyes can play their best game against their toughest opponent, but I like to think that I’m an optimist.
There’s just something about this week that brings out the best in Ohio State and I think we will see that on Saturday.
It’s also Senior Day for these guys, so there’s going to be a lot of extra emotions involved. Ohio State does not want to lose their last game at home in The Shoe. Now I know they never want to lose, but I really feel like they have more to play for than just a win this week.
Ohio State 24, Michigan 21
Chip Minnich
Everything points to the Wolverines ending their long-standing misery within the confines of Ohio Stadium since November 18, 2000. To put it in context, Bill Clinton was winding down his presidency, Drew Henson was Michigan’s quarterback, and John Cooper was finishing up his tenure as Ohio State’s head coach.
The pressure to win this game is squarely on Michigan, however. Michigan is the higher-ranked team, the Wolverines are favored, and Ohio State has been wobbly both offensively and defensively most of the season. If Ohio State can keep this close, and by close, I mean around 10points into the fourth quarter, it seems plausible that some self-doubt may creep into the minds of the Wolverines.
Ohio State is in the unfamiliar role of being the underdog in Ohio Stadium. This is the first time since the 2004 meeting that the Buckeyes are underdogs at home against Michigan, and Urban Meyer is drawing upon every slight, perceived or otherwise, to have his team prepared to ruin the Wolverines’ dreams.
Ohio State cannot give up on running the ball. It will take patience, but the offensive line should be able to spring J.K. Dobbins and Mike Weber for drive-sustaining runs in the critical fourth quarter. How well Thayer Munford and Isaiah Prince fare in pass protection is also crucial.
It may be purely wishful thinking, but I see Ohio State doing just enough to squeak by in a close one, perhaps even on the last play of the game. Here’s to you, Blake Haubeil.
Ohio State 31, Michigan 28
Michael Meihls
I have no doubt in my mind that the most talented team playing in The Game this year will be in Scarlet & Gray. On paper, this may be the best team Ohio State has ever brought into a matchup with Michigan.
However, the game isn’t played on paper. Michigan is playing the best football we’ve seen out of Ann Arbor this century. Based on the eye test alone, Michigan is playing, as a team, better than Ohio State is this season.
Initially, I took Michigan to win this game. As this week as went along, I’ve found myself buying into Ohio State winning. Between being an underdog under Urban Meyer, to Higdon’s “guarantee,” and my fandom, I have started to believe in OSU more and more.
We know Haskins can pass as needed. Can OSU run the ball to control the clock? I think they can. Can the OSU defense be able to stop Michigan? I don’t think so, but I think they can slow TTUN down.
I still have all the faith and will be cheering my head off this weekend for our Buckeyes. It would not shock me one bit for the good guys to win Saturday. However, as sick as it makes me feel, my head still says Michigan. Now I need a shower.
Michigan 38, Ohio State 35
Michael Citro
There has been absolutely no empirical evidence that the 2018 Ohio State Buckeyes can beat that team up north. The Buckeyes have struggled to run the ball against even the most mediocre defenses (although they’ve been better the last few weeks), the offensive strength happens to be what the Wolverines are most adept at stopping, and the OSU defense has been a sieve. Michigan has a special defense, a good running game, and a dual-threat, play-making quarterback. There’s no reason to think Ohio State can win this game or that it should even be close.
Then again, Urban Meyer will be coaching in a rivalry game as a home underdog against a ranked opponent. Let’s get weird.
Ohio State 26, Michigan 24
Tom Orr
The emotions of Michigan Week seem to have followed their normal course in Columbus. The week starts with pessimism, and then as kickoff inches closer, everyone gets more and more confident that the Buckeyes are going to thrash the Wolverines.
That’s fine, and the Buckeyes certainly could win this game. But there are also a bunch of reasons to think they won’t.
The offensive line has never gotten to the standard set by previous years’ OSU lines. The defense can’t seem to stop giving up huge plays – they’re 123rd in the nation in explosive plays allowed.
To win this game, OSU will need to be able to run the ball against a stout Michigan defense. And they might.
They’ll also need to consistently hold Michigan to field goals in the red zone and not allow long touchdowns. And they theoretically could.
But the odds are better than 50/50 that one or both of those things won’t happen.
Either they won’t be able to run, will get one-dimensional like they did at Purdue, and will turn it over. Or they’ll continue cosplaying a Big 12 defense and the offense won’t be able to keep up.
The need for personnel changes in a few spots has been obvious all season, but the Buckeye coaching staff has been too stubborn to make those moves.
This is the week they’ll pay for it.
Michigan 27, Ohio State 20
Tony Gerdeman
Michigan has almost won this game several times since Urban Meyer took over, but their lack of a quarterback has doomed them several times. They no longer have that lack, which means they have somebody who will be capable of making plays when Michigan needs them to be made.
Much better Ohio State teams than this had difficulties against much worse Michigan teams than this, which is bad math for the Buckeyes this year.
The further I get away from the Maryland game, however, the more I can convince myself that Ohio State will win this. This is the best passing offense Michigan has faced this year, and the Wolverine run defense is softening. But there is still the other side of the ball for the Buckeyes, and it is that side of the ball which has made this season the up-and-down affair it’s been.
While Michigan’s offense is the kind the Ohio State’s defense prefers to see, they still have to execute. That’s been a tall task this year for the Buckeyes.
If OSU can protect Dwayne Haskins, the Buckeyes will win. If Chase Winovich isn’t able to go, that will help, but it will also likely cause UM defensive coordinator Don Brown to bring more blitzes. Can the Buckeye offensive line and Haskins handle those blitzes? I’m not so sure.
Michigan 34 – Ohio State 27