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Michigan vs. Ohio State Football Betting Odds & Spread

Written November 18, 2008 by Jason Lowry

All that stands between Ohio State and at least a second place finish in the Big 10 this season, is conference rival the Michigan Wolverines. Now with some help from Michigan State the Buckeyes can actually win the Big 10 this season, as all they would need is a Spartan victory over Penn State this weekend. The Buckeyes are coming off a 30-20 win on the road over Illinois, while the Wolverines suffered their 5th conference loss last week at home against Northwestern. If you are looking to bet on NCAA football this weekend, the oddsmaker are thinking all Buckeyes in this one, as Ohio State comes in 20.5 point favorites at home over the Wolverines at Sportsbook.com

After a shocking 29-6 win on the road over Minnesota two weeks ago, the Wolverines jumped right back to their pathetic ways against the Wildcats, as the Wolverines teased fans jumping out to a 14-7 halftime lead, but were unable to put any points on the board in the 2nd half. The Wolverines actually out gained the Wildcats 264 to 257, but were unable to throw the football when needed, as Nick Sheridan and Steven Threet combined to complete just 15 of 35 for 85 yards. Sheridan did score the only offensive touchdown on a 3 yard run, but Carlos Brown did most of the damage on the ground running for 115 yards on 23 carries. Playing on the road is not going to make things any easier for this team, but who knows what will happen when these two teams hook up.

The Wolverines defense really did a good enough job to win the game last week, as they shutdown the Wildcats running game to just 59 yards on 37 carries, and Ricky Reyes helped out the offense by returning a blocked punt 3 yards for a score to give Michigan its only lead of the game. The defense allowed CJ Bacher to throw two 2nd half touchdowns, and the Wolverines set another school record with its 5th home loss of the season. Now a lot has to go right for this team to even think about winning this game, but a few turnovers should be enough to keep them with in the spread in this one. Bet Michigan +20.5 at Sportsbook.com

The Buckeyes have really been playing good football of late as they rolled off two big wins away from home to give them a shot at still playing in the Rose Bowl this season. Against the Fighting Illini the Buckeyes run game made sure the Buckeyes didn’t lose two straight against these guys, as they pounded out 305 yards on 52 carries, with Beanie Wells leading the way with 143 yards and a score, with quarterback Terrelle Pryor close behind with 110 yards on just 13 carries and a touchdown. Pryor only attempted 10 passes the whole game for just 49 yards, but was able to find Dane Sanzenbacher for a 20 yard score. If the Wolverines are unable to slow this running game down, than this one won’t be close from the get go.

The Buckeyes defense will likely be the difference maker in this one, as they have the talent to really shutdown the Wolverines. Last week the defense wasn’t really at its best, allowing the Fighting Illini to run for 214 yards, but we think playing in front of the home crowd will fix that. The defense was all over Juice Williams in this one as they had pressure on the quarterback all day, forcing the QB to throw an intercepting, fumble the football, and was sacked twice. Malcolm Jenkins joined in on the fun blocking an Illinois punt for a safety. With the Wolverines making plenty of mistakes all season, its hard to imagine they will fix that this week against the Buckeyes. Bet Ohio State -20.5 at Sportsbook.com