The Game is here.
A chance to stop a three-game* slide versus Michigan is upon us. Sherrone Moore's Michigan Wolverines take on Ryan Day's No. 2 ranked Ohio State Buckeyes at high noon.
Day and his veteran-laden squad - including a group of seniors are all too familiar with the recent losing streak - would love nothing more than to leave no doubt in this one. Even in what will be frigid temperatures, fans will be frothing at the mouth for a convincing victory in Ohio Stadium.
eet The Seniors pic.twitter.com/8zuJw3mN30
— Ohio State Football (@OhioStateFB) November 30, 2024
Gaeday pic.twitter.com/krHPLVBYq8
— Ohio State Football (@OhioStateFB) November 30, 2024
THE DAY IS HERE pic.twitter.com/EsdIdoDFxD
— Ohio State Football (@OhioStateFB) November 30, 2024
It's time for war.
Here's how the astute staff here at 11W see the 120th edition of the best rivalry in sports unfolding.
Score Predictions
Andy Anders — Ohio State 38, Michigan 6: Ohio State starts slow as per usual, but it only lasts about a quarter as the offense figures out ways to move the ball against the Wolverines’ defensive front. Michigan’s offense doesn’t manage a touchdown and the game gets out of hand quickly.
Chase Brown — Ohio State 38, Michigan 17: Ohio State gets back on track in the rivalry with a three-touchdown win in Columbus. The Buckeyes will be tested at times — more early than late — but overcome the Wolverines by way of an aggressive ground attack and suffocating pressure from its front seven.
George Eisner — Ohio State 38, Michigan 13: Ideally, Buckeyes jump out to a fast start behind the blistering accuracy of Will Howard and this game immediately gets out of hand. More realistically, OSU absorbs the best blows from Michigan early before separating in convincing fashion during the third quarter and Ryan Day pours on a few more points late.
Jack Emerson — Ohio State 38, Michigan 6: Order is restored as the Buckeyes leave no doubt against the Wolverines and return to the Big Ten Championship.
Johnny Ginter — Ohio State 28, Michigan 13: I would love to see a blowout but honestly I'll just be happy with Ohio State's first win in The Game since what feels like a freaking eternity.
Matt Gutridge — Ohio State 38, Michigan 10: Ryan Day and the Buckeyes face That Team on a level playing field for the first time since 2019. Let's just leave it at that. Never mind, one more thing. Fuck Michigan.
Garrick Hodge — Ohio State 38, Michigan 10: Don't expect Ohio State to show much mercy in this one. The Buckeyes will probably get off to their usual slow start, but eventually boat race their arch rival and end the three-game skid.
Dan Hope — Ohio State 34, Michigan 14: Each of Ohio State’s last three games has followed the same pattern: Start slow in the first quarter, take control of the game in the second quarter, pull away in the third quarter. I expect a similar script this week with Michigan making things tense early before the Buckeyes dominate the second half.
Kyle Jones — Ohio State 35, Michigan 13: The visitors script up an effective opening drive that heavily targets Colston Loveland and includes multiple trick plays, resulting in 7 early points. However, OSU’s passing game carves up Wink Martindale’s man-heavy defense and dominates the final 3 quarters.
Chris Lauderback — Ohio State 30, Michigan 9: Aaaaaaand we'll drink to old Ohio 'til we wobble in our shoes!
Ramzy Nasrallah — Ohio State 42, Michigan 0: They haven’t won a road game this season. Seventeen points at Washington. Seven in Champaign. Fifteen in Bloomington. They don’t deserve points. They deserve pain.
Josh Poloha — Ohio State 38, Michigan 10: The Buckeyes finally get their revenge and take out some frustration on the Wolverines in blowout fashion.
Jason Priestas — Ohio State 30, Michigan 6: This game is close for longer than Ohio State fans – particularly those alive for the Cooper era – would like it to be, but the Buckeyes play with vengeance and have too much on each side of the ball for a pretty inadequate Michigan team.
Jordan Raines — Ohio State 34, Michigan 13: This game shouldn’t be treated like “any other game” - it’s The Game. However, I think the result will be similar to what we’ve seen from the Buckeyes this season: a sluggish start in the first quarter followed by dominance the rest of the way.
Will Ohio State Cover?
The 10-1 Buckeyes have settled in as 19.5 favorites over the 6-5 Wolverines after the line shifted from around 23 points at some books last Saturday. At 11W HQ, 12 of 13 staffers have the Buckeyes covering the gaudy spread.
Ramzy Nasrallah, after predicting Ohio State to win by 21 last week over Indiana, again is feeling more bullish than anyone else on staff, calling for a 42-point win today. Johnny Ginter is the least confident in today's action as he expects a 15-point OSU victory.
What About the Over/Under?
As kickoff approaches, the over/under sits at just 42.5 total points. Eleven staffers have the over with Chase seeing most scoring at 55 total points, while just four staffers; Jason, Chris, Johnny and Ramzy, are calling for the under to hit. But honestly, Just. Win. Baby.
Eleven Warriors Prop Bets
Although many states prohibit player prop bets at the collegiate level, we've got a few below for you to have some fun with. Leave your predictions for us in the comments and either thump your chest later or hide behind your handle.
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How many passing yards will Will Howard have?
- Over 249.5 (-105)
- Under 249.5 (-125)
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How many passing yards with Michigan's Davis Warren have?
- Over 134.5 (-115)
- Under 134.5 (-115)
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How many passing touchdowns will Will Howard throw?
- Over 2 (+120)
- Under 2 (-150)
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How many passing touchdowns will Davis Warren throw?
- Over 0.5 (+105)
- Under 0.5 (-135)
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Donovan Edwards anytime TD
- +275
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Emeka Egbuka anytime TD
- +115
