How Ohio State football fans are viewing the match-up with Michigan State

Ohio State and Michigan State are almost set for a pretty sizeable contest in the ‘Shoe on Saturday and for Ohio State fans, there seem to be two sides to what they believe this game will be like. First and foremost, there is respect for the Spartan program. You don’t ruin a few OSU seasons over the last decade or so and not gain the respect of a fanbase. I’d say Buckeye fans see the Michigan State program as a physical and talented bunch that more often than not find a way to bring it against Ohio State. I know the last few years haven’t necessarily been that way, but for a while there, MSU was more of a threat than Michigan.

All of that out of the way, again, there are two polarizing camps it seems for Buckeye fans. There are a vocal bunch that believes Michigan State has gotten through this year with smoke and mirrors. You can’t argue with the 9-1 record and win over the Wolverines, but many believe the defense is going to be exposed against Ohio State, especially through the air. They expect this to be a blowout much like what we saw against Purdue last week.

Then, there is another large group that believes Michigan State has found something under Mel Tucker and is going to come into the ‘Shoe with a scrappy attitude, do a little bit of everything just good enough with a physical brand, and make life difficult for the Buckeyes. They’ve seen it before as the blueprint from this program and believe that’s got a good chance of unfolding this year as well. With Kenneth Walker III running the ball, and Payton Thorne making plays through the air, this one could be a game to just survive.

We’ll know which group is right on Saturday, but no matter which camp OSU fans fall in between these two points of view, there is a respect that has been earned through the years. Let’s hope for a good one. Game on!