College Football Betting – (6) Buckeyes Hope to Add to Wolverines Woes

Michigan Wolverines at (6) Ohio State Buckeyes (-21, 52.5 o/u)

Hoping to maintain a shred of dignity, the Michigan Wolverines (5-6, 3-4 Big Ten) travel to face the No. 6 Ohio State Buckeyes (10-1, 7-0 Big Ten) in Columbus on Saturday. It’s been a tough few years for Wolverines head coach Brady Hoke, who more than likely will be jobless in a week.

When asked if his looming departure has affected his approach to this iconic rivalry, Hoke said, “They can speculate and all that. If I get distracted with what we’re doing that’s not fair to those 115 kids. I’ve never worried about a job.”

Added center Jack Miller said, “It speaks volumes of his character that he comes into the building with the same passion that he’s had from day one.”

Sitting a game under .500, the Wolverines need a win to have any hope of reaching a bowl game.

Ohio State is clearly the better team, and remains in contention for a playoff berth, but the team knows it can’t get caught looking ahead.

Buckeyes linebacker Joshua Perry said, “People talk about the playoff system and all that. That’ll handle itself, but we’ve still got to take care of what we’ve got to do.”

What Buckeyes head coach Urban Meyer wants the team to do is maintain its composure against its biggest and most despised rival. Last year at the Big House, three players were ejected for fighting.

“[Coach Meyer] said he wants the game to be very intense, but if anybody throws any punches this year we’re just dismissed,” linebacker Curtis Grant said. “So we have to be on our best behavior.”

The Buckeyes rode a 49-37 win (and easy cover as 3.5-point road dogs) over Michigan State to a top-ten ranking. Now 10-1 on the season, the Buckeyes are in the hunt for a playoff berth. If they can top the Wolverines on Saturday and the winner of the West division in the Big Ten championship game, they stand a chance of reaching the coveted top-four. Though they will likely need at least two of the teams above them to lose in the final weeks of the season.

Ohio State has won 11 of the last 13 games against Michigan. This contest should end with the same result. Your best play is taking the Buckeyes and laying the points (-21).

(Photo credit: Peter R. Schlitt (flickr user One Raised Eyebrow) [CC-BY-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons.)