Penn State will play for the Big Ten championship if it beats Maryland, thanks to a little help from Michiagn.
Penn State came into the final weekend of the regular season knowing things would look pretty good for them in the postseason as long as they took care of business against Maryland. A win would likely secure a first-round home game in the College Football Playoff.
But the Michigan Wolverines just opened the door wide open for much more.
Michigan upset Ohio State in Columbus, Ohio in the early afternoon slate with a late field goal lifting the massive underdogs over their bitter border rival for the fourth consecutive season. The loss was Ohio State’s second conference loss of the year, which allows Penn State to take advantage in the Big Ten championship picture.
Penn State has just one Big Ten loss coming into the final game of the regular season, and the Nittany Lions would win out over Indiana in a tiebreaking scenario for the final spot in the Big Ten championship game. If the Nittany Lions and Hoosiers each end the year with one conference loss, they will each finish ahead of Ohio State, the only team to hand each their only loss of the season. Oh, the sweet irony of it all.
So now the path is crystal clear. If Penn State wins on Saturday afternoon against Maryland, Penn State will play for the Big Ten championship against Oregon next Saturday in Indianapolis.
Penn State will be in the playoff regardless of what happens in a big Ten championship game scenario, but a win in the Big Ten title could also lead to a first-round bye in the College Football Playoff.
But first, Penn State has to finish its own job against Maryland.
Wild fight breaks out between Michigan and Ohio State players
Michigan defeated Ohio State 13-10 on Saturday in their annual Big Ten rivalry clash. And then all hell broke loose on the field when the Wolverines tried to plant their flag on the “O” logo at midfield.
A Michigan flag is planted in the center of The Shoe and things get even more heated between Ohio State and Michigan pic.twitter.com/fPcvJ6Z8ND
“”At the end of the day, some people gotta learn how to lose. We had four quarters to do all that fighting. And now people want to talk and fight?” Michigan RB Kalel Mullings said, “You have to do better.”
It appeared as if Michigan players were pepper sprayed.
A Michigan flag is planted in the center of The Shoe and things get even more heated between Ohio State and Michigan pic.twitter.com/fPcvJ6Z8ND
The lesson is don’t make a team a 23.5-point underdog in a rivalry game, especially when it is Michigan playing Ohio State.
Dominic Zvada kicked a 21-yard field goal with 45 seconds left on Saturday to give the Wolverines a 13-10 victory over the Buckeyes.
The loss rocked Ohio State, which was No. 2 in the CFP rankings.
It likely knocked the Buckeyes out of the Big Ten Championship Game against Oregon on Dec. 7. Penn State needed a win over Maryland to gain the spot against the Ducks.
Michigan was 6-5 coming into the game and won its fourth straight game in this intense rivalry.
The only scoring in the second by either team was the field goal by Zvada.
“This is why you come to Michigan,” head coach Sherrone Moore said.
Ohio State football vs. Michigan Wolverines: Halftime observations #GoBucks
The Ohio State football team is heading into halftime tied with the Michigan Wolverines at 10-10, and one of these teams was not ready to play. The Buckeyes were expected to win by more than three touchdowns and now I think they are just hoping to come away with a win.
There is not of positive to takeaway from this game other than the fact that the offense showed some life with its last drive earning the tying touchdown. Quarterback Will Howard has had an up and down game and went down briefly due to a serious hit on a q-run.
The offense has also not really gotten on track, especially in the running game, but we’ll dive into that. Here are three halftime observations from Ohio State’s first half against Michigan, one in which the teams headed to the locker room tied at 10-10.
The receivers are open
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Will Johnson is not playing and the Michigan defensive backfield can clearly not compete with these Ohio State receivers. Jeremiah Smith looks like he found his groove a bit and Carnell Tate is open almost ever play. I would expect the Buckeyes to lean into the passing attack more in the second half.
Will Howard is healthy
Michigan Wolverines defensive back Makari Paige (7) tackles Ohio State Buckeyes quarterback Will Howard (18) with the help of Michigan Wolverines linebacker Ernest Hausmann (15) on a run during the second quarter of the NCAA football game at Ohio Stadium in Columbus on Saturday, Nov. 30, 2024.
The whole stadium went silent when Howard went down, but he is back and better than ever. After throwing an early interception, Howard looks like a new man and heads into halftime completing 12 of 18 passing attempts for 119 yards.
Don’t expect an explosion
This rivalry has historically been a barnburner the last decade, but this year is not going to play out that way. Ohio State has the ability to embarrass Michigan in the second half, but after witnessing the last three years, we just need to hope Ryan Day can get the win.
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The Kansas City #Chiefs could target Michigan #Wolverines outside linebacker Josaiah Stewart in the 2025 NFL draft.
The Kansas City Chiefs need a pass rush specialist capable of complementing Chris Jones’ All-Pro production. General manager Brett Veach’s options in the 2025 NFL draft are plentiful, but one of Michigan’s star defenders stands out as a good candidate.
Josaiah Stewart is an undersized rusher who won’t meet many of the NFL’s thresholds. He’s a total outlier, which could make him available for Kansas City in the third or fourth round. Despite his physical limitations, Stewart is one of college football’s most dominant pass rushers.
Stewart explodes off the line with rare acceleration and burst that put offensive tackles at a disadvantage. He changes directions quickly to attack the B-gap or soften the tackle’s outside shoulder. His pass rush plan includes cross-chops, rips, swims, two-handed swipes, and converting speed to power.
Josaiah Stewart (No. 0) is undersized, but he set records at Coastal Carolina and has been Michigan’s most efficient (and arguably impactful) pass rusher since arriving in Ann Arbor. Stewart took it to USC yesterday. #NFLDraft#NFLDraft2025#2025NFLDraftpic.twitter.com/8tRJzIxQUV
Stewart possesses the power to pry open the B-gap and the bend to flatten his rush angle around the edge. His relentless pursuit and impressive open-field speed give quarterbacks nightmares.
Stewart’s motor and surprising play strength make him a surprisingly effective run defender. He’s a menace hunting down ball carriers as a backside defender and sets a firm edge on the front side of runs. Stewart uses a long-arm to stack blockers who outweigh him by more than 70 lbs. and quickly separates to pursue the ball.
Michigan goes on the road to face 10-1 Ohio State at 11 a.m. CST on Saturday. The Buckeyes are No. 2 in the most recent College Football Playoff rankings.
Ohio State football issues availability report for Michigan game #GoBucks
Ohio State football will hit the field against the Michigan Wolverines today for Senior Day and the last home game of the regular season. After losing three Michigan games in a row, Ryan Day will be looking to keep his foot on the gas today and it appears the roster will be healthy enough to do just that.
We obviously already knew that the offensive line would be without two starters as offensive tackle, Josh Simmons went down with a season-ending injury earlier in the year and starting center, and Seth McLaughlin suffered a season-ending injury last week at practice before the game against the Indiana Hoosiers.
Zen Michalski should also be thrown in on this list as he was the starter in Josh Simmons’ absence, but also suffered an injury earlier in the season, but as far as any new faces on the injury report, it appears to be as clean as we could hope. The full report is as follows:
Out
WR Nolan Baudo
RB TC Caffey (Season)
C Seth McLaughlin (Season)
OT Zen Michalski
OT Josh Simmons (Season)
WR Reis Stocksdale
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We are on the doorstep of another Ohio State vs Michigan rivalry game and there are plenty of storylines to watch. One of those is the status of Wolverine star defensive back, Will Johnson, widely regarded as a first-round NFL draft pick come April.
Johnson has been dealing with an injury for a few games now but there were rumors that he might make it back for the game against the Buckeyes. However, based on multiple reports, he is expected to not play when things kick off for “The Game” at Noon ET on Saturday.
Johnson’s absence is huge if true. He has only played in six games this season and the Michigan pass defense has suffered greatly because of it, allowing 222.3 yards per game (No. 72 in FBS), while giving up 6.6 yards per pass attempt (remember, that includes incompletions).
Sources: Michigan All-American cornerback Will Johnson is not expected to play against Ohio State on Saturday. He’s been battling a toe injury that he suffered on Oct. 19 against Illinois. pic.twitter.com/oqod46xMRf
Having an All-American and potential top-ten NFL draft pick sidelined for the bitter rivalry on Saturday could unlock the passing game for Ohio State already more than what the gameplan would have called for.
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We’re still awaiting the status of Michigan’s star tight end, Colston Loveland as well. He left the Northwestern game last week with a shoulder injury. Head coach Sherrone Moore said that he is “trending in the right direction” at his press conference on Monday, but we’ll have to wait and see.
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OK, I know, I know, why even put such things out in the college football universe? Ohio State is all set to host Michigan on Saturday and everyone that knows anything about ‘The Game’ is fully aware that the Buckeyes have lost three-straight.
If you are even a casual Buckeye fan, you also know that OSU is having a much better season than its arch rivals, seeing how the Maize and Blue just became bowl-eligible last week. There is no shot at a Big Ten championship, no chance at a College Football Playoff berth, and likely no opportunity to head to any kind of bowl game worth consequence in Ann Arbor.
But beating Ohio State would make an awfully sour season taste that much sweeter. For Buckeye Nation, it would be one whale of a punch in the gut, especially with as talented of a roster as what has been put together in Columbus.
But … what if? What if Ohio State loses its fourth-straight to “That Team Up North?” What would the implications be?
Postseason Implications for Ohio State
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First things first, the Buckeyes would no longer be heading to Indianapolis with a chance to avenge a prior loss to Oregon and become Big Ten champs. Instead, it would likely be Penn State or Indiana unless they were both to lose Saturday (that isn’t happening). So, it would be extend the streak to four years of OSU not winning a Big Ten title.
Outside of that though, it would appear as though Ohio State is in fantastic shape to still make the 12-team College Football Playoff regardless of what happens on Saturday. Currently ranked No. 2, even a loss wouldn’t likely drop the Buckeyes far enough to keep them out of all of the fun, unless it ends up being a blowout. Even then, regardless of score, Ohio State has two wins over what were top-five opponents — currently both top ten squads. That should be more than enough to keep a little Scarlet and Gray into the fold.
But the Buckeyes would no longer be a No. 1 seed or even a No. 5 seed, so the chances of hosting a first-round CFP game would perhaps fly out the window. But don’t worry, a team capable of winning it all would still have a shot.
Buckeye Nation would respond
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However, if the Buckeyes can’t get it done on Saturday, there are more impacts that will ripple across the great state of Ohio. Fans will be even more restless, calling for head coach Ryan Day’s job. Losing four-straight to Michigan won’t make anyone happy, but even with all of the whispers and murmurs rising to the level of a deafening roar, it’s unlikely that new Athletic Director Ross Bjork would make a move on Day, especially with him steering the team to another College Football Playoff appearance.
Beyond that, it really depends on how far the Buckeyes make it in the playoff. OSU came within a missed field goal of beating Georgia after a loss to Michigan in 2022 that would have likely ended up in a national title. The same scenario could play out this season.
Either way, Ohio State is going to the playoff folks. Mark it down. However, let’s just hope that the team shows up and plays up to its potential and blows the doors off of Michigan to put the universe back in equilibrium on Saturday.
Time to get it done.
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Ohio State vs Michigan. Nothing further needs to be said, but this trailer will get you hyped up. #GoBucks
Every Thursday, the Ohio State creative team shares a theatrical trailer to get all of Buckeye Nation ready for the OSU football game coming to a stadium, high-definition television, or streaming device near you. And yeah, they are all pretty fantastic.
However, with ‘The Game’ coming up this weekend, you just knew the team would outdo itself, and that’s exactly what appears to have happened.
If you haven’t seen the trailer for Ohio State vs. Michigan, we suggest you take a couple of minutes to watch it. That’s where we come in. We have Volume 12 of the 2024 season for you taken straight from the Ohio State Football ‘X’ account, titled simply — The Game.
In it, there are highlights of some pretty remarkable hits and moments from a few of the meetings between the colors of Scarlet and Gray and Maize and Blue. I watched it and can’t believe I have to wait another couple of days before tuning in and waiting for some vengeance. Maybe you’ll feel the same.
Clear the furniture out of the living room and hit play below, then be prepared to get a little animated.
Ohio State and Michigan are all set to kickoff at Noon on Fox. We’ll all be watching. Almost all of the college football universe will be watching too.
