The Ohio State Buckeyes are 12-1 straight up and 9-4 against the spread in their last 13 games against the Michigan Wolverines. The Buckeyes will be looking to continue that trend on Saturday with a road win over the Wolverines as a tune-up for the Big Ten Championship Game.
Ohio State’s a big road favorite at Michigan but riding strong trends
The Ohio State Buckeyes are double-digit road favorites at the sportsbooks as they prepare to face the rival Michigan Wolverines in a marquee matchup on Saturday.
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Ohio State is a 12-point road favorite in Ann Arbor at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com. In their last five games as a betting favorite of 14 points or less, the Buckeyes are 0-5 ATS.
Ohio State Buckeyes at Michigan Wolverines
When: Saturday, Nov.25, 12 p.m. ET
Where: Michigan Stadium, Ann Arbor, Mich.
Betting Line / Total: Ohio State -12 / 50 Points
Ohio State Buckeyes
In a disastrous letdown game coming off an emotional 39-38 win over the Penn State Nittany Lions, the Buckeyes lost 55-24 on the road against the Iowa Hawkeyes. Ohio State has bounced back with back-to-back blowout wins against Michigan State and Illinois, but the team no longer controls its own destiny for a College Football Playoff spot.
Still, a road win over Michigan and then a win over Wisconsin in the Big Ten title game would at least keep the Buckeyes in the conversation for a playoff spot as a two-loss Big Ten champion.
Before that stunning loss to Iowa, Ohio State was 25-1 SU and 17-9 in its previous 26 games on the road, per the OddsShark College Football Database.
Michigan Wolverines
Michigan’s defense has been one of the best in the nation this year, ranking third in total yards allowed with 261 per game and 11th in scoring allowing 17.1 points per game. But that hasn’t resulted in wins against quality opponents thanks to an inability to produce offense against legitimate defenses.
The Wolverines’ three losses have come by scores of 14-10 to Michigan State, 42-13 at Penn State, and 24-10 last week at Wisconsin. With an 0-12 SU and 5-7 ATS record in their last 12 games as an underdog, the Wolverines haven’t given backers much reason to believe that this week will be any different.
Saturday’s total is set at 50 points. The OVER is 7-1 in Ohio State’s last eight games.
This rivalry has been totally lopsided in recent years, and not much from the way this season has played out suggests that a change in the script is coming. Rivalry week can always produce surprises, but the Wolverines will likely need their defense to produce some scoring if they hope to keep this game in striking distance.
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