Ohio State Football vs Minnesota Prediction

The Minnesota Golden Gophers will travel to Columbus this weekend to face the Ohio State football team on Senior Day. With a final tune-up before “The Game”, the Buckeyes will look to grab a big lead to rest the starters to be ready to face TTUN.

History:

Ohio State and Minnesota have met 22 times on the gridiron, with the Buckeyes winning 21 times. The lone loss for the Buckeyes was in 2000 when the Gophers came to Columbus and won 29-17. This would end up being Coach John Cooper’s final year.

Minnesota:

Minnesota comes with a 5-5 record on the season, needing to win one of their last two games for bowl eligibility. They are 1-2 against ranked opponents so far, with losses to North Carolina and Michigan and a win against Iowa. They have lost two in a row, with losses to Illinois and Purdue.

On offense, the Golden Gophers are led by Athan Kaliakamis, who has thrown for roughly 1,600 yards on a 52% completion percentage. Kaliakamis has thrown 13 touchdowns compared to 7 interceptions. He has struggled against AP-ranked teams, only completing 37% of his passes and 3 interceptions.

Defensively, the Gophers are led by Maverick Baranowski, who has 52 tackles and 1 sack on the year. As a defense, they surrender 26 points a game. Against ranked opponents, they have given up 31 per game.

Ohio State

The Ohio State football team is going into Senior Day with a 10-0 record. Last week, they defeated Michigan State 38-3, while jumping out to a 35-3 halftime lead. It was the best game of the season so far for the offense, as Marvin Harrison Jr. had a 3-TD game, as well as Kyle McCord throwing for 335 yards. Harrison leads the team with 12 touchdowns on the year.

The Buckeye Defense is led by Tommy Eichenberg, who has 73 tackles on the year and a sack. The defense is ranked second in the country in points allowed/game, surrendering 9.9/game.

Prediction:

I think the Buckeyes are starting to figure out the offense and will lean hard on Marvin Harrison Jr. I think Minnesota can keep it close in the first half, but the Buckeyes will pull away in the third and rest the starters in the 4th, getting ready for the biggest game of the year against the cheaters up north. Score: 31-7.