No. 2 Ohio State hits the road and travels to Ann Arbor, Michigan, on Saturday to battle No. 5 Michigan in the latest edition of one of the greatest rivalries in all of sports. This year’s contest has a throwback feel to it, too. This rivalry is born of so many consequential meetings between the two teams over the last century. From the time they first met in 1897, so many of these games have decided Big Ten championships and national titles.
They’re both Midwestern powerhouses that were so powerful that the Big Ten was jokingly referred to as “The Big Two and the Little Eight” for years. That hasn’t been the case nearly as often as Michigan fans would like in recent years, but it will be the case this season. The winner of this game not only wins the Big Ten East Division, but will then be a Big Ten Championship Game win away from a likely College Football Playoff berth.
You can’t ask for much more than that from a rivalry game.
How to watch Ohio State vs. Michigan live
Date: Saturday, November 27 | Time: 12 p.m. ET
Location: Michigan Stadium — Ann Arbor, MI
TV: Fox | Live stream: fuboTV (Try for free)
Ohio State vs. Michigan: Need to know
Michigan hasn’t beaten Ohio State since 2011: Ohio State enters this year’s contest with the confidence of a team that’s won eight straight in the series, and unfortunately for the Wolverines, few of those eight games have been close calls. Following a five-point win in 2012 and a one-point win in 2013, the Buckeyes have won the last six by an average of 18.2 points per game, with only one of those meetings (2016) finishing as a one-score game.
This is their first meeting as top-five teams since 2016: That last close meeting in 2016 also happens to be the last time these two teams were ranked in the top five at the time, and it’s one of the greatest games in the history of the rivalry. No. 2 Ohio State beat No. 3 Michigan 30-27 in double-overtime in a controversial manner. Ohio State QB J.T. Barrett scrambled for a first down on a fourth-down play after what Michigan fans will quickly and loudly tell you was a favorable spot. On the next play, Curtis Samuel scored a game-winning touchdown to send the Buckeyes to the Big Ten Championship and then the College Football Playoff.
Ohio State QB C.J. Stroud is the new Heisman favorite: Stroud became the odds-on favorite to win the Heisman Trophy following last week’s masterful performance against Michigan State. Stroud threw for 432 yards and six touchdowns against the Spartans in a 56-7 rout. Even more impressive, the lion’s share of that production (including all six touchdowns) came in the first half of the game, as Stroud only played the first series of the second half before letting the backups get some snaps. Another strong performance against a top-five team like Michigan would only solidify his case for the award.
Ohio State vs. Michigan prediction, picks
It’s so hard to go against the Buckeyes in this game. Even though I think this is the most complete Michigan team that Jim Harbaugh has had, after seeing the way the Buckeyes have flipped the switch the last two weeks, I don’t think the Wolverines are good enough. They have an excellent defense and pass rush, but they’ve yet to face an offense even close to the caliber of Ohio State’s. If the Wolverines fall behind, they’ll have to abandon their strengths in an effort to keep up. So I’m laying the points with the Buckeyes while hoping the game is much closer. Prediction: Ohio State (-8)
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