When No. 2 Ohio State visits East Lansing to play Michigan State on Saturday, it will be a contrast between two programs that were seemingly on the same level until they suddenly weren’t. Ohio State is turning in yet another top-10 season and are in the hunt for the Playoff, but Michigan State has turned last year’s Playoff berth into a miserable 3-7 2016.
Ohio State vs. Michigan State 2016: Start time, live stream, TV schedule, and 3 things to know
The Buckeyes likely need a win to keep their Big Ten title chances alive.
Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
Ohio State seems to have woken up from whatever slumber that overtook them in October. Following their loss at Penn State, the Buckeyes are 3-0, and have won their last two games 62-3 over Nebraska and Maryland. They're still in the thick of the Playoff hunt, but bizarrely, thanks to a Michigan loss at Iowa last week, the Buckeyes no longer control their own destiny in the Big Ten East. If Ohio State wins out, the Buckeyes could still miss the Big Ten Championship Game if Penn State wins their final two games.
How to watch, stream, and listen
TV: 12 p.m. ET, ESPN
Radio: Ohio State | Michigan State
Online streaming: WatchESPN
Spread: Ohio State is favored by 21.5 points.
Make friends: Get to SB Nation’s team blog chats for this game at Land Grant Holy Land for Ohio State fans and The Only Colors for Michigan State fans.
Three big things to know
1. Ohio State’s Big Ten East fate is out of their hands, but their only path to the division title is by blasting the teams in front of them. Even though the big matchup with Michigan is looming, the Spartans have been a large and frequent thorn in Ohio State’s side for the past few years. It’s hard to see them overlooking Michigan State, regardless of how poor their record is.
2. It’s hard to overstate just how badly Michigan State has fallen off in just one year. They went from making the Playoff in 2015, to having zero Big Ten wins outside of Rutgers in 2016. Maintaining dominance at a program like Michigan State was always going to be difficult, if not impossible, but no one expected them to crater this hard.
3. Following their loss to Penn State, Ohio State has made getting the ball to Curtis Samuel a priority, and it's paid off handsomely. He has six touchdowns in those three games, and provides an excellent counterpoint to Mike Weber as he's a much better pass catcher out of the backfield.
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