Ohio St. Buckeyes Favored For Lopsided Win Over Michigan Wolverines

Sports News - November 18th, 2009 - Written by John

Three years ago, way back in 2006, Ohio State and Michigan were ranked one and two in the second-to-last BCS poll, and found each other face-to-face with the sport's biggest prize on the line. It was the height of the recent rivalry that has since sunk to a level of mediocrity not seen in some time.

The rivals have seen vastly different fortunes since then, Ohio State winning the next two Big Ten titles with Michigan losing 16 of their next 23 games. Needless to say, Saturday will have little implications outside of the region, with little more than bragging rights at stake.

Looking at the College Football Betting Lines, the Buckeyes are 11 1/2-point favorites, according to BetUS, with a total of 47 1/2.

The Big Ten champs will try to restore some of the storied tradition of the rivalry, if by nothing else than the uniforms on their backs. In a move pushed by Nike, Ohio State will be wearing the shoe company's Pro Combat uniforms that are reported to be much lighter and sleeker than previous jerseys. The jerseys will be throwbacks of the 1951 National Championship team with blank white helmets with red stripe down the middle, and gray pants.

With or without them, many players argue that it won't be difficult to get up for the game.

"It's not tough at all," Ohio State safety Kurt Coleman said about getting excited for the game. "We want to win the championship outright and to beat Michigan. That's a lot of motivation to play well."

As it stands, the Buckeyes are technically tied for to Big Ten regular-season title, but already have the Rose Bowl bid wrapped up. If they were to lose to Michigan, they would finish with the same conference record as Iowa, but the head-to-head tiebreaker would mean Ohio State gets the nod. It's the first time head coach Jim Tressel has ever gone to Pasadena, and the first time the school has made the trip in 13 years.

Michigan, meanwhile, hasn't been so lucky. Since Rich Rodriguez inherited the program, the Wolverines have missed the postseason two years in a row for the first time since the 70s, and have been embarrassed by improper training practices. Former and current players accused Rodriguez earlier in the year of over working his players, and when the school conducted an audit, it was revealed that the football program failed to log it's practice hours.

After starting the season 3-0 in their first College Football Matchups, Michigan has lost six of it's last seven games, putting Rodriguez squarely on the hot seat with a win over hated Ohio State the only likely option to keep his job.

"There's no question we've got one more chance," Rodriguez said. "I've asked the team to be extra focused. We've been focused all year, but this is the biggest game of the year. Our guys know that."

The Buckeyes have been terrific this year when controlling their own fate. They beat two top-15 teams in back-to-back weeks to win a share of the conference. Terrell Pryor has been solid, albeit unremarkable, in both games. But the offensive struggles have still been there, making the game seem surprisingly winnable for the Wolverines. Ohio State is 65th in the nation in total offense, 103rd in passing yards, and 46th in points.

Michigan ranks better in every category mentioned, playing relatively the same schedule, and Brandon Minor and Carlos Brown have combined for 982 rushing yards this season. The Wolverines running game stands at 21st in the country.

But the question still remains, how will the two proud teams fare when faced with a uniquely unimportant game?

"It's not going to be a game that either team needs to get fired up for,"argued Rodriguez. "It's Michigan and Ohio State. We got a lot at stake. It's at our place and it's our seniors' last game. The focus this week should be great, I just hope the play is great."

Read more about Michigan vs. Ohio State, and other contests in our College Football Game Previews.

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