Bettings trends to know for No. 4 Ohio State vs. No. 7 Michigan State

There’s a highly anticipated matchup happening in the Big Ten on Saturday as No. 4 ranked Ohio State hosts No. 7 Michigan State at Ohio Stadium in Columbus. While the Buckeyes (9-1 overall, 7-0 Big Ten) will be trying to win and remain in the hunt for a top-four spot in the College Football Playoff, the Spartans (9-1, 6-1) have the goal of upsetting OSU and jumping them in the rankings.

Despite it being a No. 4 vs. No. 7 showdown, Ohio State is favored over Michigan State by 19 points, with the overall points total set at 69.5.

The Spartans are 7-3 against the spread this season, including a perfect 3-0 as an underdog. Since 2018, in games played in November or later, MSU is 5-12 against the spread with a 2-5 mark under head coach Mel Tucker.

As for Ohio State, the Buckeyes have covered in the past four meetings against Michigan State dating back to 2017, but has failed to cover in five of their last six games against ranked opponents. OSU is 5-8 against the spread since head coach Ryan Day’s first season in 2019.

Both Ohio State and Michigan State are 1-4 against the spread in their last five games against Associated Press top-10 teams.

The 19-point spread would be the second-largest between AP top-seven teams since the FBS/FCS split took place in 1978. As of now, the largest spread is No. 3 Florida State as a 21.5-point favorite against No. 7 Miami on Nov. 2, 2013 – a game in which FSU won 41-14.

No. 4 Ohio State and No. 7 Michigan State are set for a Noon ET kickoff on ABC.

ESPN analysts wade into Michigan vs. Michigan State debate

Although it was ranked at No. 7 behind No. 6 Michigan in the third release of the College Football Playoff Top 25 on Tuesday night, Michigan State could still earn a spot in the top-four – and ESPN’s Kirk Herbstreit agrees with that.

Currently 9-1 on the season with just one loss to Purdue, the Spartans – although they defeated Michigan this season – are ranked behind the Wolverines in the CFP Top 25 for another week. However, MSU still has remaining games against No. 4 Ohio State and Penn State and could very easily make it into the top-four if it were to defeat the Buckeyes on Saturday on the road in Columbus.

“I just look at Michigan State that if they go to Columbus and win, if they end up winning the tiebreaker over Michigan, they end up going to Indianapolis in the Big Ten championship … I just feel that they still control their own destiny,” Herbstreit said during Tuesday’s release of the Top 25 on ESPN. “If you need to be upset about it, then that’s cool.”