Last updated on December 14th, 2024 at 03:51 pm
No. 2 Ohio State will host Michigan on Saturday. Although the Michigan vs Ohio State game is not a showdown between top teams, it does have several storylines. One of the top stories many College Pro Bowl betting fans are looking forward to is whether Ryan Day can break his three-game losing streak against Michigan.
Day has a 43-4 record against other teams since 2001. However, he hasn’t decided how to win against his team’s biggest rival.
If the Buckeyes were to defeat the Wolverines, it would end their losing run and put them in the Big Ten Championship Game, where they would face Big Ten newcomer Oregon. With a loss from Penn State and an upset from Indiana this weekend, Ohio State would have a mathematical shot at hosting the league championship game.
In addition to extending the Wolverines’ remarkable winning streak over their bitter foe, a victory on Saturday would put coach Sherrone Moore’s first season in charge in a stronger position to lead the team to a bowl game. In last year’s showdown, Moore guided the Wolverines to victory following Jim Harbaugh’s suspension for his role in Michigan’s scouting and sign-stealing scandal. Moore now has an opportunity to join an exclusive club if he beats Ohio State and becomes the sixth coach in program history to do it.
Michigan vs Ohio State Preview
Will Howard, Ohio State’s quarterback, knew defeating Michigan was crucial the day he moved from Kansas State in January. He became acutely aware of the gravity of the situation and began to call the Wolverines the “Team Up North” shortly after.
To beat Michigan, win the Big Ten, and claim the national title, this is the game that crucial veterans who may have departed for the NFL in the spring returned for. Following an outstanding November in which they defeated two top-five teams (Indiana and Penn State), Ohio State is well-positioned to accomplish those objectives. With talent at every skill position, Howard is the most accurate passer in the country. The offensive line’s depth has allowed them to recover quickly from two injuries that ended the season. Despite Michigan’s weak offense, Ryan Day’s championship-caliber defense should have little trouble stopping them. The next step is to defeat their fiercest competitor.
The Wolverines are losing to Ohio State due to having a less superior roster. However, the Wolverines should feel most confident at defensive tackle, cornerback, and linebacker. Those aside, Ohio State is the superior squad. Plus, there are several positions where it is not close, such as safety, running back, quarterback, and wide receiver.
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What Michigan Needs to Do to Win Against Ohio State
The Wolverines are counting on Donovan Edwards to repeat the performance he delivered in their last two games. Against the Buckeyes, he rushed for 255 yards (7.7 yards/carry) on 33 attempts and scored twice, but he hasn’t been able to replicate that performance so far this year.
Similarly, Sherrone Moore requires this victory. At 6-5 at the end of his first year in the program, he can finish 2024 with twice as many defeats as the Wolverines had in the 2021–2023 season (40-3). To become one of just five Michigan coaches in history to start their careers 2-0 against Ohio State, he must either achieve something that neither Bo Schembechler nor Jim Harbaugh has accomplished with a victory, or he must join the ranks of Fielding Yost, Fritz Crisler, Lloyd Carr, and Gary Moeller. Alternately, his winning % ranks among the three lowest for a first-year head coach at Michigan in the last hundred years, alongside Rich Rodriguez and Bump Elliott.
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