It’s finally Michigan week, and the came couldn’t be much bigger. Both teams figure to be ranked in the top five when the newest College Football Playoff Rankings come out Tuesday evening. More than that, the winner will be the representative for the East Division in the Big Ten Championship game in Indianapolis. There are also College Football Playoff implications at stake.
Ohio State has been on an absolute roll offensively over the last couple of weeks, but Michigan is also improving and becoming a very complete football team in all phases of the game. Of course, the big question is whether or not the very good Wolverine defense can slow down the Buckeyes’ No. 1 ranked offense. Who would you favor in this matchup?
According to the oddsmakers in Vegas, they are favoring Ohio State, but not by as much as you might think. In fact, according to Tipico, the Buckeyes are just an 8.5 favorite. That would be a big line for an NFL game, but not from what we’ve seen in the college game.
There are likely a couple of things that play into this early line. First, the game is in Ann Arbor, giving Michigan an advantage with the emotion of the crowd and all that goes with trying to get a long, long losing streak in “The Game” off their back. Secondly, the Wolverines have played every game close, losing just the one to Michigan State by three points. The defense has been solid, and TTUN has the personnel and physicality to control the tempo of the game if it all works by design.
We’ll give you our predictions a little later in the week, but let’s just tease it by saying we’re probably taking the over on that line.
All Betting Lines are Courtesy of Tipico Sportsbook.
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