Michigan Wolverines vs. Ohio State Buckeyes: Prediction, Preview, Picks & Odds - 11/26/2022

Time: Noon ET

Venue: Ohio Stadium, Columbus, OH

Where to watch: FOX

DraftKings: Ohio State -7.5

FanDuel: Ohio State -7.5

BetMGM: Ohio State -7.5

Caesars: Ohio State -7.5

No. 3 Michigan: 11-0 (8-0 Big Ten)

No. 2 Ohio State: 11-0 (8-0 Big Ten)

Michigan: won 19-17 vs. Illinois

Ohio State: won 43-30 at Maryland

My friends, we have reached the main event of the college football regular season. Destiny has brought us all here to ultimately realize that the one game on the entire calendar year that was going to determine everything that we knew about this upcoming postseason will come to fruition in Columbus on Saturday. Michigan. Ohio State. What more could you ask for?

The stage is set and it's pretty simple. Whoever wins will be going on to the big 10 championship game and will seemingly solidify a spot in the College Football Playoff. The loser is likely headed to the Rose Bowl which is not a bad thing, but it's not where either of these two programs wants to be. Last year, it was Michigan completely stunning the college football world and finally being in a place where it can say that it is better than Ohio State. So much so that it went on to the College Football Playoff before ultimately losing to the Champs in Georgia.

This time, however, things are different period last year's game in Ann Arbor was a completely dominant effort from the Wolverines. This year, with a Heisman candidate in Ohio State, this could be the time for the Buckeyes to get their revenge. Though I will say if there was ever a time for a shaky feeling from Ohio State to come out in this game, it would be now.

The Buckeyes are coming off a 43-30 victory at Maryland on Saturday. Now you could say that 13 point victory against Maryland really shouldn't be a problem because Ohio State has been able to find ways to win over the course of three months and this should not be a surprise.

To which I say yes, I agree with you. But Maryland is no slouch, and Marilyn rallied back to cut the game to within three points with 9:49 to go. Ohio State has found itself over the last few weeks, really the last month or so, in games where it should not be this close and it's not until the last bit of the game, or even the second half that Ohio State turns it on and I wonder if that trend is able to continue under these circumstances?

CJ Stroud threw for just 241 yards and a touchdown, which is mediocre and he needs to be so much better against Michigan, but Dallan Hayden ran for 146 yards and three touchdowns to pace the Ohio State offense.

“We’ve been licking our wounds for 365 days, hearing all the laughing, everything that everybody’s been saying,” said Stroud, Ohio State’s star quarterback. “I definitely think that we’ve been preparing for it, not only on the field but in the weight room as well.”

This is the Heisman moment for Stroud. This is the game everyone has waited on two officially anoint him as the Heisman Trophy winner. Should he do this and win this game and put on the best performance he possibly can, the trophy is his because we know that Ohio State is going to win the Big 10 title. It's all about can Ohio State really do it? And against the toughest competition the Buckeyes will have this year, can they do it one more time?

But if there was a sliver of hope for Ohio State going into this game, it would be the fact that Michigan’s own Heisman Trophy candidate, running back Blake Corum, injured his knee near halftime of Michigan’s 19-17 victory over Illinois on Saturday. If the running back cannot go in this game, that is a huge blow for Michigan. Because Corum is their entire offense. Whatever quarterback controversy there was at the beginning of the year is completely irrelevant now because it would not matter who is at quarterback from Michigan. The offense runs through this running back and if he's not playing it is going to be a massive problem for Michigan.

“We’ve been preparing for this the whole year,” defensive lineman Kris Jenkins said.

But at the very least, Michigan’s defense showed in the fourth quarter and really the second half of this game against Illinois that it is still very good. Michigan, however, has not faced an offense like Ohio State and it will show on Saturday.

I wouldn't be surprised if anybody flip-flopped on this decision between now and Saturday and given the fact that Ohio State is laying 7.5 says a lot. I wonder if this line would stay for a healthy Michigan team, but I'm not going to argue it. Ohio State gets it done and we see what goes from there. Ohio State by 10

Michigan is 17-8 ATS the last two seasons.

Michigan is 6-0 ATS off an ATS loss the last 2 seasons.

Ohio State is 215-167 ATS in all games since 1992.

Michigan is 50-72 ATS on the road after a home game since 1992.

Passing: J.J. McCarthy -- 1,952 yards, 14 TD, 2 INT

Rushing: Blake Corum -- 1,457 yards, 18 TD

Receiving: Ronnie Bell -- 641 yards, 2 TD

Passing: C.J. Stroud -- 2,991 yards, 35 TD, 4 INT

Rushing: Miyan Williams -- 783 yards, 13 TD

Receiving: Marvin Harrison Jr. -- 1,037 yards, 11 TD