Ohio State ventures out on the road against the surprising Spartans

For the first time this season, the Ohio State football team will leave the friendly confines of Ohio Stadium to travel up north to familiar yet enemy territory when the Buckeyes will take on old Big Ten rival Michigan State in Spartan Stadium. Kickoff is at 7:30pm ET, and the game will be televised by Peacock.

Ohio State is a heavy favorite (24 points by the oddsmakers), but the Buckeyes should not be looking at this 2024 Spartans team as a pushover. Michigan State comes into the game with a 3-1 record, including a 27-24 win on the road at Maryland in week two.

Michigan State hired Jonathan Smith away from Oregon State on November 28, 2023, and has already begun making positive impressions upon the Spartan football program. Considering that Michigan State went into a tailspin after the firing of Mel Tucker in September of 2023, Smith's steadiness on the sidelines that he displayed during his years at Oregon State were quickly welcomed by the Spartan faithful.

Jonathan Smith made several notable personnel changes to the program, and two of the biggest were the transfer portal addition of quarterback Aidan Chiles from Oregon State, and the hiring of Joe Rossi as Michigan State's defensive coordinator.

Chiles has a gunslinger mentality at the quarterback position, and has thrown more interceptions (7) than touchdowns (4) this season, but his strong arm and ability to elude defenders with his leg will make him a thorn in the side of Big Ten defenses this season; more on that below for Ohio State.

Joe Rossi's addition as the defensive coordinator was not only for his coaching acumen, but also for his familiarity with The Big Ten. Rossi previously coached at Rutgers (2012-2015) and Minnesota (2017-2023), and has been cited by Jonathan Smith as someone crucial for the staff to lean upon, as other staff members were predominantly from Oregon State, with little to no experience facing Big Ten programs.

As for Ohio State head coach Ryan Day, the concern about beginning Big Ten conference play is now the primary focus. At his weekly press conference on September 24th previewing the game at Michigan State, Day said, "You start to feel good about something and complacency can sneak up on you fast. So nobody feels good about anything.".

Coming off a 49-14 win over Marshall that had its share of sloppy moments, especially on the special teams units, Day will be looking for a better performance by his team as they begin the process of challenging for The Big Ten championship.

Below are Three Things To Watch From Ohio State at Michigan State when the game starts on Peacock. If you do not yet have Peacock, fear not - it is only an application download and subscription plan away!

1. The Michigan State Passing Game versus The Ohio State Defensive Line

Among the items that irritated Ohio State fans in the 49-14 win over Marshall was Ohio State's inability to put any pressure on Marshall's quarterbacks. As noted up above, Aidan Chiles has been prone to throwing interceptions. Combined with a makeshift Michigan State offensive line that has been forced to shuffle personnel due to injuries, and the opportunity is ripe for Ohio State's defensive linemen Jack Sawyer and J.T. Tuimoloau to put pressure on Chiles, resulting in either sacks, incomplete passes, or even interceptions.

2. Ohio State's Special Teams Units

Ryan Day was visibly agitated by the three straight kickoffs that went out of bounds last week versus Marshall, and the Ohio State fans in attendance were not shy in voicing their displeasure either. Austin Snyder was called upon to replace Jayden Fielding on kickoff duty last week, so that will bear watching to see how that will be managed this game.

Brandon Inniss was bailed out of a muffed punt, due to a Marshall penalty that negated the turnover - even so, those are the kind of mistakes that can lose a game. Think I am exaggerating? Just Google the following - "1998. Nate Clements. Punt Return". Now I have your attention, and that leads me to ~

3. "Takin' Care Of Business"

"Takin' Care Of Business" was a huge hit for Bachman-Turner Overdrive in the early 1970s; for those of you who were not born in the 1970s, do yourselves a favor and give the link I included a listen. But I digress.

Ohio State has won three straight games, as expected, with mixed results. The season opener against Akron started out slow before the Buckeyes pulled away from the Zips. Week two against Western Michigan saw Ohio State perform in a dominating fashion from start to finish. Then Ohio State's momentum seemed to stall after an "Improvement Week" that had the Buckeyes playing sluggishly versus Marshall, before the Buckeyes pulled away.

My point I am making is that Ohio State needs to come out forcefully and commandingly against Michigan State. It is a night game, so the fans will be ready and rowdy. This year's version of the Spartans are playing with more confidence, as they have won their first three games, while narrowly losing on the road last week at Boston College (23-19). The longer Ohio State allows Michigan State to hang around, the more perilous this game will become.

Ryan Day wants his team to play with intensity, and that was something that was lacking last week versus Marshall. I do not believe it will happen to the Buckeyes for two weeks in a row. I have it Ohio State 42, Michigan State 17