The Ohio State Buckeyes traverse 200 miles north to Ann Arbor this Saturday for "The Game" against TTUN. This year, there could be a massive twist in college football's flagship rivalry in the north in the form of snowfall.
CBS Sports' Robby Kalland predicts victory for OSU against their blood rival in the Big Ten (for now, at least). It comes with a catch, though: the weather may force Ryan Day and Brian Hartline to ditch Julian Sayin's arm in favor of a healthy dose of Bo Jackson runs up the gut.
"It is going to be 31 degrees and snowy in the Big House on Saturday afternoon and I legitimately cannot wait to watch this game," Kalland prefaced before saying, "Ohio State has been unbelievable all season. The defense is spectacular and they haven't been truly pushed by a team since the opener against Texas -- and even then, they were in control of that one all game. Now they face a Michigan team that has brought out the worst in Ryan Day and the Buckeyes in recent years.
"Last year's game was the ultimate example of this, as Day was insistent on trying to out-physical the Wolverines, which has only served to play into Michigan's favor. This year's Ohio State team seems perfectly built to avoid that trap this year -- they are fantastic passing it with an embarrassment of riches at receiver and have been mediocre running it -- but the weather will give Day pause at opening it up.
"If the Buckeyes aren't comfortable throwing it downfield in the snow, things start shifting into Michigan's favor. I think we might be headed for another defensive slugfest, but this time the Buckeyes come out on top, but just barely. PICK: Ohio State 20-17 over Michigan."
The way running back Jordan Marshall has been playing for TTUN, getting into a ground battle isn't ideal. Especially because of the pressure Bryce Underwood would be under to keep his team alive in the College Football Playoff race.
The Wolverines could only win a nonsense game. There are few more on-the-nose instances of nonsense than snow mucking up what could've been a straightforward streak-breaker for the Buckeyes at the "Big House."
The worst-case scenario could be happening for Ohio State, which luckily has a defense that's still built to dominate in these conditions. Day, though, has been there and done that, despite the narrative that he's Maize and Blue-branded. Matt Patricia has been there and done that in these conditions.
Everything could play out as planned by Las Vegas' vision, even if the line is moving towards TTUN. That snow just makes things unsettling, to say the least.