Make Your Pick: Michigan vs. Ohio State
It's all on the line. It's already "The Game", but today it really is the game. Both Michigan and Ohio State are 11-0 and good enough to be in the College Football Playoff. The Wolverines are ranked No. 3, while the Buckeyes are sitting just one spot higher at No. 2. The winner of the game will represent the East in the Big Ten Championship game and will immediately start making plans for the CFP. To say this is a big one is a massive understatement.
Both teams are dinged up at some key positions with U-M feeling just a tad more bit by the injury bug. Both running backs Blake Corum and Donovan Edwards are less than 100% but both are expected to play. Tight end Luke Schoonmaker has become a security blanket for young quarterback JJ McCarthy and he's also banged up but expected to go. On the other side of the ball, sack leader Mike Morris looked severely hobbled last week against Illinois as he watched from the sidelines, but he too is expected to play today in Columbus.
In a game like this one, whoever suits up is going to go as hard as humanly possible. Is that a full snap load for any of the guys listed above? We won't know until the game kicks off. That also means that production could be down at any or all of the positions. Or maybe not. There are so many unknowns with so many key players injured for the Wolverines. Still, what they do, they do well. The offensive line is expected to move Ohio State's defensive line around. On the flip side, OSU's wide receivers are expected to have an advantage over U-M's solid but virtually untested defensive backs. At the end of the day, this one feels like a toss up in a lot of ways, while Vegas sees the Buckeyes as 8-point favorites. We'll all know how it's going to go soon enough.
Chris Breiler - Michigan 37, Ohio State 31
Brandon Brown - Ohio State 34, Michigan 24
