Last season, the Ohio State football program demolished Michigan in Ann Arbor. The 27-9 victory was overwhelming, and the Buckeyes dominated the game for the final three quarters. After the game, TTUN made some massive changes to the program.
Sherrone Moore was fired for some improper conduct just a couple of weeks later. They lost several players to the Transfer Portal because of that, and decided to hire Kyle Whittingham. Meanwhile, the Ohio State Buckeyes brought back Matt Patricia as the defensive coordinator and hired Arthur Smith as the new offensive coordinator.
Ohio State hosts The Game this year, and Ryan Day should feel much less stress for that game after he won last year. The oddsmakers in Vegas think so, too. In fact, the opening line for that game has Ohio State as the overwhelming favorite to win The Game for the second year in a row.
Ohio State made massive favorites over Michigan for The Game
According to FanDuel, the Buckeyes are 12.5-point favorites over TTUN. It's clear that the sportsbooks believe that what Ohio State did last year will have some lasting damage to TTUN at the end of November. Michigan is clearly resetting as a program.
TTUN has Bryce Underwood returning for his second year as a starter. The Buckeyes were able to keep him in check with relative ease. Still, Underwood thinks the team will be better. Ohio State is going to feel very confident that it will be able to win for the second year in a row.
By the end of the year, we will know who both of these teams are. The Buckeyes played looser last year than they have in the last few years, and that resulted in a victory. It's hard to imagine them being tighter at home, although the game could be a potential CFP play-in game.
Both Ohio State and Michigan have tough schedules
Ohio State has a much tougher schedule than it did last year, although the Buckeyes had a tough game against Texas. This year, they play Texas, Indiana, and Iowa all on the road. The Buckeyes also take on USC and Michigan at home, giving them some hard games.
TTUN takes on Oklahoma, Iowa, Penn State, Indiana, Oregon, and Ohio State. That's a brutal number of really good teams. The only thing going for them is that only two of those games are on the road. Both the Ducks and the Bucks will get to host the Wolverines at home.
With both teams playing hard schedules, there is a chance that the final game of the year could determine which team makes the College Football Playoff. Ohio State should have enough wins before this game on its schedule to make sure that the final game can't possibly eliminate them.
The Buckeyes will always respect The Game, no matter how many points they are favored by. It's the best rivalry in sports for a reason. That's because either team can win, no matter what the point spread is.
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