Tag: michigan wolverines

Ohio State vs. Michigan 2019 football Preview And Prediction

Ohio State travels to Michigan to renew the annual grudge match in The Game. We’ve got your preview and prediction for Saturday.

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Records

Ohio State (11-0), Michigan (9-2)

Broadcast, TV, Game Time

Date: Saturday, November 30
Game Time: Noon ET
Network: FOX
Venue: Michigan Stadium – Capacity: 107,601
All-Time Series: Michigan leads 58-50-6
Last Meeting: Ohio State defeated Michigan 62-39 in 2018

In a season that was supposed to finally be the year for Jim Harbaugh and the Wolverines to get over the hump, it’s been more of the same. Unfulfilled expectations.

On the other side, Ohio State was picked as low as fourth in the Big Ten with new coach Ryan Day taking over for Urban Meyer. However, the Bucks have just kept rolling with a high powered offense and a new look defense.

Michigan has been steadily improving as the regular season winds down. This isn’t the same team that squeaked by Army and got trucked by Wisconsin and TTUN would like nothing more than to knock the Buckeyes down a notch and give Harbaugh his first win over Ohio State.

This one is setting up to be an epic battle in the Big House. Throw the records out the window for The Game – it’s officially Michigan week!

Next … The game plan

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The narrow but real College Football Playoff path for Wisconsin

The Wisconsin Badgers aren’t completely dead in the College Football Playoff race. Here is how they can still get in.

The Wisconsin Badgers seemed to be 100-percent done and dusted in the pursuit of a College Football Playoff berth a few weeks ago. However, as our friend Yesh Ginsburg at Buckeyes Wire shows in his latest College Football Playoff analysis column, the Badgers aren’t dead yet.

Here’s Yesh in an excerpt from his column at Buckeyes Wire:

11-2 Wisconsin: The Badgers could have four Top 15 wins when all is said and done. If Michigan beats Ohio State and then Wisconsin beats the Buckeyes, the Badgers will have an incredible resume. They would need a bit of help from Auburn, Oregon, and maybe the Big 12 to get in the Playoff, but an 11-2 Wisconsin team will be in the thick of things–if Ohio State loses to Michigan. (I would honestly take 11-2 Wisconsin over 11-1 Alabama, but I doubt the selection committee will.)

Yes, Wisconsin has to focus on what it can control. Yes, Wisconsin needs to put its goggles on and focus on handling the Minnesota Golden Gophers this Saturday, and punch that ticket to Indianapolis for December 7. Yes, the chances of getting into the playoff will ultimately require beating big, bad Ohio State. No one is saying or implying that any of this is likely.

Yet, it is possible, and if you remember crazy college football seasons such as 2007, you know crazier things have happened. (In 2007, South Florida, Kansas, and Boston College were ranked No. 2! Kansas played Missouri for a division championship in the Big 12! Rutgers came close to making a BCS bowl game! Kansas won the Orange Bowl! The national champion lost two games, one of them being to Kentucky!)

Let’s realize that Oregon losing to Arizona State is the key puzzle piece which fell in Wisconsin’s favor. Had Oregon and Utah been 11-1 heading into a Pac-12 Championship Game, the winner would have been guaranteed to finish 12-1. Now, that’s no longer the case. Oregon beating Utah would put Oregon at 11-2.

An 11-2 Wisconsin team as Big Ten champion with a win over Ohio State could — and probably would — get in over Oregon. If Oklahoma loses to Oklahoma State but then beats Baylor in the Big 12 Championship Game, an 11-2 Wisconsin team, as the Big Ten champion with a win over Ohio State, could — and probably would — get in over two-loss Oklahoma.

The other obvious piece which has to fall into place for Wisconsin: Michigan must beat Ohio State. The Badgers could handle OSU in Indianapolis, but if OSU is sitting there at 12-1 and UW is 11-2, with the two teams splitting head-to-head matchups, Wisconsin’s conference championship would not override OSU’s better overall resume. I reemphasize that the Illinois loss was and is a crusher for Wisconsin. If the Badgers hadn’t lost that game, they would have so many better postseason prospects. Nevertheless, Wisconsin still isn’t done.

Jim Harbaugh needs to be Wisconsin’s helper. Then the Badgers have to do their part later on Saturday afternoon. Let’s see what happens. Again, more improbable things have happened in college football history. Badger fans are hoping that the spirit of 2007 fills the air this upcoming weekend.

Ohio State favored by -8.5 over Michigan in early BetMGM line

Ohio State has been installed as an early -8.5 favorite of its arch-rival Michigan Wolverines according to BetMGM.

Ohio State and Michigan are set to renew their rivalry this Saturday. You can throw the records out as they say, but with the renewed vigor on the Wolverine sideline, it appears as though the odds makers are looking a little more optimistic about Jim Harbaugh and crew keeping things close against the Buckeyes.

According to the online betting website BetMGM, Ohio State is an early -8.5 favorite over its arch rival. And while that might be a narrower gap than many would have anticipated, the fact that the game is in Ann Arbor, and the recent improvement with Michigan’s offense has many believing this will be a hard-fought game.

*Odds via BetMGM. Access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated Monday at 9:00 a.m. ET. 

Of course, those notions and feelings have been a part of almost every single Jim Harbaugh contest against the Buckeyes in all four of his meetings to date, so take that with a grain of salt.

Either way, the line is set. Are you an over or under bettor in this one? How will it ultimately play out? We’ll find out around 3PM Saturday afternoon when the game will be close to its conclusion by that point.

“Want to get in on the action? Place your bet now at BetMGM.” 

Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services. Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.

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Ohio State vs. Michigan: Ten times Jim Harbaugh famously lost his maize and blue mind

Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh is a polarizing figure. In the week leading up to the Ohio State game, here’s ten times he lost his mind.

Jim Harbaugh has a way of getting in the headlines, mostly for the bizarre. The line between genius and crazy is sometimes blurred. With Harbaugh, we think closer to crazy, so it got us wondering here at Buckeye Wire, what are the top ten times Jim Harbaugh has lost his Maize and Blue mind?

No. 10 – Sleepovers With Recruits

Harbaugh has some interesting recruiting tactics to say the least, but having a sleepover? Isn’t it kind of weird when someone invites themselves over? Especially when that self invite comes from a 50 year old man?

Harbaugh did just that trading in the khakis for some gray sweats and late night Netflix with several recruits. What does a middle aged man and a teenager talk about at a sleepover? This one seems creepy, even for Harbaugh.

To be fair though, he did get the nation’s 2016 top rated kicker, Quinn Nordin, to flip from Penn State to the Wolverines after the overnight stay. Get ’em anyway you can… I guess.

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Week 13 CFP Eliminator: On the brink of chaos

Our CFP Eliminator is counting down the teams still in the College Football Playoff picture. With only two weeks to go, 12 teams remain.

Welcome back to the Eliminator. I explain the process behind eliminating teams in my Week 1 post. In short, I ask myself a simple question: “If this team wins out, will they have a chance at the Playoff?” I don’t assume that teams will lose–there’s no need to. The losses will come when they come; and when they do, I’ll eliminate those teams. Until then, they’re not eliminated. It’s that simple. I also track every eliminated team on this Twitter thread.

There are still plenty of scenarios that can play out over the next two weeks, but we are so close to chaos, and every team remaining in contention can still back its way in. I only eliminated Penn State this week, and only because the wins over Pitt and Indiana got significantly worse. Penn State now only has two quality wins (Iowa and Michigan), which isn’t enough to overcome two losses, even two really good ones.

On the other hand, I didn’t eliminate Oregon. The Ducks could also only have two ranked wins (Utah and USC), but they would also be a conference champion. Oregon’s schedule is also a bit better top-to-bottom. Oregon, though, has no real shot. However, we need so little to get real chaos. If Auburn beats Alabama and Les Miles has one more trick up his sleeve next week, we could be stuck with three undefeated P5 teams and zero one-loss teams. If that happens–and remember, it only really takes chalk plus three upsets (Auburn over Alabama, Kansas over Baylor or Oklahoma State over Oklahoma, then an upset in the Big 12 Championship Game)–then we’re guaranteed a two-loss Playoff team. It won’t be Penn State. It would probably be Georgia if the SEC Championship Game is close. But it could still be Oregon.

And, of course, plenty of other chaos can still happen. Michigan–a team I’m still not sure if I was right to eliminate last week–could beat Ohio State. (If they do, the Wolverines could have Top 15 wins over Ohio State, Notre Dame, and Iowa, with two Top 10 losses.) Or Minnesota can beat Ohio State. LSU could lose one of its last two games, or maybe even both. Clemson has a rivalry game on the road–against a team that already beat Oklahoma. Chaos is coming for us. The only question is where.

Next … What teams are still alive?

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Big Ten Football 2019 Bowl Projections, College Football Playoff picks after week 13

Things are coming into focus as the Big Ten football season ends. Here’s the latest bowl projections and College Football Playoff spots.

The Big Ten has a rich, rich history in historical bowl games, and the expectations are set for that to continue in 2019. Here at Buckeyes Wire, we’re keeping with tradition and giving you a peek at where we think all the teams in the conference will end up when all the dust settles on the season.

We reassess after each week of games and project based on what we’ve seen.

The season might be coming to an end here over the next week, but there’s still a lot that could, and probably will happen during the last couple of weeks.

Keep in mind that these scenarios are very complicated with projecting when there’s not enough teams from certain conferences with tie-ins, and the agreements with bowls to not repeat the same program over a certain time-frame if at all possible.

Here’s a look at the projections now after twelve weeks of results on the field.

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Quick Lane Bowl

Thursday, December 26
8:00 ET, ESPN
Ford Field, Detroit, MI
ACC vs. Big Ten

Projection: North Carolina vs. Michigan State

New Era Pinstripe Bowl

Friday, December 27
3:20 ET, ESPN
Yankee Stadium, Bronx, NY
ACC vs. Big Ten

Projection: Illinois vs. Louisville

San Diego County Credit Union Holiday Bowl

Friday, December 27
8:00 ET, FS1
SDCCU Stadium, San Diego, CA
Big Ten vs. Pac-12

Projection: Michigan vs. USC

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Next … Continued

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One year ago today, Ohio State beat Michigan 62-39

Let’s recap the one-year anniversary of last year[s 62-39 game, the most points Ohio State has ever scored against Michigan.

Because of the way the calendar lines up this year, one year ago today was actually the Saturday after Thanksgiving. That day provided us with one of the greatest beatdowns in Ohio State-Michigan rivalry history. Not in terms of margin of victory, no. The 23-point win is not even close to the widest margin in the rivalry. What was historic, though, was the 62 points the Buckeyes put up.

In the 114-game history of the rivalry, a team has put up more than 50 points twice. Before last year, the only other time it happened was when Michigan scored 58 in 1946. The Buckeyes scored exactly 50 points twice in the 1960s (1961 and 1968). Other than that, no team has hit the half-century mark.

The impressive win might not have been enough to send Ohio State to the College Football Playoff last year, but it did lead to Urban Meyer getting a pretty solid sendoff in his first and only career Rose Bowl. (Unless he ends up taking the USC job at some point, which so many of the rumors somehow expect he will do.)

It was not a perfect season for the Buckeyes last year, but it was a pretty near-perfect rivalry beatdown. And, honestly, is there much more that a Buckeye fan can ask for?

To relive the game in short, BTN has a great video on Twitter: