This article is part of our College Football Picks series.
College Football Picks: Michigan vs. Ohio State
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Michigan travels to Columbus, Ohio, to take on the Ohio State Buckeyes in one of the biggest rivalries in sports. It's been a disappointing season for the Wolverines, but a win this week could make everyone in Ann Arbor feel a lot better. Ohio State, meanwhile, has bigger fish to fry, but the Buckeyes aren't about to look past the Wolverines this week.
Michigan vs. Ohio State Betting Odds for Week 14
Spread: Ohio State -18.5 (FanDuel Sportsbook); Michigan +19.5 (DraftKings Sportsbook)
Total: Under 42.5 (FanDuel Sportsbook), Over 42.5 (BetMGM)
Moneyline: Ohio State -1200 (BetMGM), Michigan +920 (FanDuel Sportsbook)
It's not the typical line we see in this game, but it really shows where these teams are at right now. There has not been much movement on this line, but it is interesting that it's dropped from down to 19.5 and even 18.5 on some sites.
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Michigan vs. Ohio State Betting Picks for Week 14
This is a rivalry game, some say the rivalry game, so I don't want to put too much stock into the numbers, but this line is almost three touchdowns for a reason and the numbers play an important role in that.
Ohio State, as you'd imagine, ranks highly in almost all statistical categories. The defense is ahead of the offense, but as we saw this past week, the Buckeyes can move the ball on a good defense. In fact, they've seen a few good defenses this season and still managed to put up 30+ points in all but two games, and in those two games, they still managed to win.
Michigan, on the other hand, does not look very impressive on paper. The offense has struggled all season and only started to find some traction in recent weeks. The defense has done well against the run but has struggled against the pass.
The biggest problem for the Wolverines this week is their offense vs. the Buckeye defense. I mentioned Michigan has started to figure things out on offense, but the Wolverine still could only muster 15 points against Indiana and 17 points against Oregon. Both teams have strong defenses, but they're not as good as Ohio State's defense. Michigan's defense held its own against Indiana, limiting the Hoosiers to 20 points, but the week prior, they surrendered 38 to Oregon. The Buckeye offense is not the juggernaut we've become accustomed to seeing over the past decade, but it's still pretty good, and it's going to take something special from the Wolverines to slow that unit down.
There's nothing in the numbers that would suggest the Wolverines can stay within the spread here, but this is a rivalry game, and weird things happen in rivalry games. Better Buckeye teams have lost to worse Wolverine teams throughout the history of this matchup, but will it happen here?
I don't think so. The Wolverine offense is just too far off the pace here. Had this offense been humming along for most of the season, I'd give them a puncher's chance, but they've only recently started to figure things out, and this week, they're bound to have a huge setback. The only way Michigan stays close is if it can force several turnovers, and I don't see that happening.
Michigan vs. Ohio State Expert Pick: Ohio State -18.5 (FanDuel Sportsbook)
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Michigan vs. Ohio State Predictions for Week 14
Both teams are going to come out fired up in this one, and it should be a very exciting start to the game. Michigan will have some success on defense early, but like this past week, the Buckeye offense will figure it out and start to have its way. Meanwhile, the Wolverine offense will struggle from the get-go and fail to do much of anything all day.
Michigan will play it close to the vest early in an effort to keep things tight, but eventually, they'll have to open it up, which is going to spell trouble for Michigan. Turnovers come into the picture in the second half as things start to get out of hand, and Ohio State cruises to victory.
Ohio State 34 - Michigan 10
