Once Nov. 29 gets here, Ryan Day really isn't going to need extra motivation to power his Ohio State football team over Michigan. The Wolverines own a four-game winning streak over the Buckeyes and to say Day has heard all about that would be an understatement.
Ohio State football continues its heater on the recruiting trail
With the new CFP rankings dropping on Tuesday night, there were no surprises with the Buckeyes, fresh off a dominant win over UCLA, once again landing the No. 1 spot. Michigan, which escaped against Northwestern, remains No. 18.
Once the regular-season finale gets here, everything is going to be on the line for the Wolverines. With a win against the Buckeyes, they'll have a great shot of firing themselves into the CFP. However, with an Ohio State win, Day and Co. will keep them out. This is something the OSU locker room will 100 percent have on its mind.
Ohio State football vs. Michigan will have CFP implications for the regular-season finale
Imagine adding even more drama to easily one of the best college football games of the year. These two teams don't like one another and those feelings are fully transferred over to the fanbases. With this game being in Ann Arbor, the Michigan faithful are going to want to rattle Julian Sayin.
Yeah, good luck with that. Elsewhere on offense, there are serious injury concerns due to Jeremiah Smith and Carnell Tate being banged up, but Day has said that both injuries aren't expected to be long term. That's obviously good news, but Day will hopefully rest both playmakers for the Rutgers game.
Michigan is also a bit banged up on offense, with Justice Haynes already ruled out to take on the Buckeyes, while fellow running back Jordan Marshall hurt his shoulder vs. Northwestern, but he avoided the worst-case scenario. He's expected to play in late November.
Michigan will take on Maryland this weekend and with a win it will improve to 9-2 on the year. Ohio State is expected to dominate and move to 11-0. Then, everyone's focus will shift to TTUN. We're already predicting Ohio State to win 31-17, with a first-round CFP bye to come for the Buckeyes. Speaking of the CFP, with the loss to Day, Michigan players will be watching the Playoff from the comfort of their own homes.