Ohio State At Michigan College Football Betting Preview

Republished By Plato

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One of the most storied rivalries in college football will be renewed on Saturday afternoon, as Ohio State visits Michigan for the latest installment of “The Game.” The series hasn’t been competitive in decades, as Ohio State has won 17 of the last 19 meetings, with both losses coming at Michigan Stadium — but Ohio State has won every game since 2011. Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh was brought to Ann Arbor, in part, to turn this trend around, but the coach who got the San Francisco 49ers to a Super Bowl berth hasn’t been able to solve the Buckeyes. Both teams come in with one loss, but the Buckeyes are heavy favorites on the road.

Can they cover this line? Don’t miss our online college football betting insights.

NCAAF Preview: Ohio State at Michigan (Saturday, November 27)

When: Saturday, November 27, 2021, 12:00 pm ET
Where: Michigan Stadium, Ann Arbor, MI
TV: FOX
Radio: The Ohio State Sports Network / Michigan Sports Network
Live Stream: Hulu
NCAAF Odds: Ohio State -8 / O/U 64.5 // Ohio State -320 / Michigan +250

Why should you bet on the Buckeyes?

Ohio State’s loss came way back in Week 2, as they fell at home to Oregon, 35-28. The Buckeyes have been perfect since then, scoring at least 30 points in all but one of those wins. Quarterback C.J. Stroud has emerged as a Heisman Trophy favorite this year, as Chris Olave (13) and Garrett Wilson (11) are both in double digits for receiving touchdowns. Stroud leads the nation’s top scoring offense, and the unit shows terrific balance. The Buckeyes lead the nation in rushing yards per carry (5.9), and the passing game is third overall in yards per pass (10). On defense, Ohio State permits just 19 points per game, 15th in the nation.

Ohio State has covered in four of their last five games coming after a win against the spread, and in four of their last six games as a favorite on the road. If you watched last week’s win over Michigan State, the Buckeyes took advantage of an iffy pass defense and stacked up a 49-0 halftime lead before taking their foot off the gas and cruising to a 56-7 win. Michigan’s pass defense simply got shredded; Michigan’s unit is better, but the fact that Michigan gave up that late comeback against the Spartans does not bode well for the Wolverines against the likes of Stroud.

Why should you put your money on the Wolverines?

Michigan started the season 7-0 and then had their only setback of the season at Michigan State, blowing a large lead in the second half to fall, 37-33. Since then, Michigan has won three in a row, taking down Indiana, Penn State and Maryland. Cade McNamara has emerged as one of the best quarterbacks that Jim Harbaugh has had in Ann Arbor. He has thrown for 2,142 yards, completing 64 percent of his passes with a 14:2 TD:INT ratio. The running game is 13th in the nation with 218.4 yards per game and has had 19 different ball carriers on the season. On defense, the Wolverines rank 13th in the nation, permitting 16.3 points per game, and the unit’s 29 sacks are tied for 37th in the nation.

Final Score and Betting Prediction

It’s hard to see Michigan’s defense slowing down Ohio State much, after what the Buckeyes did to Michigan State. Eight points seem like a lot for a road favorite in a game between two top-ten teams with the Big Ten East title at stake, but the Wolverines have not shown that they can hang with Ohio State in years. I predict a final score of Ohio State 38, Michigan 20.