Buckeyes open as double-digit favorite in The Game against Michigan
COLUMBUS — Ohio State is coming off a dominant, 23-point win over a top-five team in the Horseshoe. And none of the Buckeyes wanted to talk about it.
What they wanted to shift their focus to is the upcoming game, The Game, against Michigan. Because after three straight losses, the Buckeyes are already locked in on the rivalry game rather than celebrating the win over No. 5 Indiana.
Ohio State opened the week as a 20.5-point favorite over the Wolverines for their Saturday showdown (Noon, FOX), according to the folks at Fanduel Sportsbook. The total has been set at 44.5.
And the Buckeyes can’t wait to take the field against Michigan on Saturday.
“Right now,” defensive end Jack Sawyer said immediately after the game when asked when the Buckeyes would turn their focus to Michigan. “I could really care less, no offense, talking about this game because this is the game you come back for.
“It’s a game that has impacted so many lives the last few years. I want this one so bad for so many different reasons.”
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This team knows that Michigan is having a down year, sitting at 6-5 after it beat Northwestern on Saturday to secure bowl eligibility. But the Buckeyes also do not care about the records, this week especially.
“I can’t speak about what they got going on in Ann Arbor,” senior captain wide receiver Emeka Egbuka said. “They’ve got their own problems, being 5-5 or whatever their record is. But this is the one that means the most to Buckeyes fans, to Buckeyes players, to the whole state of Ohio. We know that as a team. And this is what we came back for.”
It’s finally here. No time to celebrate the win over Indiana. It’s on to Michigan.
Ohio State vs. Michigan betting notes, trends
+ Ohio State is 6-5 against the spread this season
+ Michigan is 4-7 against the number
+ The Buckeyes have lost their last three meetings against Michigan, including a 22-point loss in 2022
+ The total has gone under in six of the 11 Ohio State games so far
+ The total has gone over in seven of Michigan’s 11 games this year
+ Ohio State has been the favorite in 11 of its 12 games this season
+ Michigan has one win over a ranked team (USC) this season
