The Ohio State Buckeyes are hosting the Michigan State Spartans in Big Ten College Football action on Saturday. The game is scheduled for a 3:30 p.m. start time and it will be televised nationally on ABC. Currently the betting odds for the game have the Buckeyes favored to pick up the victory in this one at home in double-digit fashion.
This is the biggest game in the Big Ten to date. The winner, if Michigan State, will be playing in the Big Ten title game this season (provided they don't fall to Penn State the following week). Ohio State remains unbeaten and ranked inside the Top 4 of the College Football Playoff spots, but they really have been drifting through the regular season. The Buckeyes have played nobody to date, but their final two games against Michigan State and the rival Michigan Wolverines will determine how the season ends.
Certainly Ohio State has remained unbeaten and looked sharp at times, but will they live up to the double digit favorite status in this one? The double quarterback thing with Cardale Jones and J.T. Barrett is interesting, but they keep winning and now have picked up victories in 23 straight games. The last time the Buckeyes dropped a game was in the 2013 Big Ten title game — to Michigan State.
Ezekiel Elliot is the real deal at tailback for the Bucks, he's averaging 6.5 yards per carry this season with 1,425 yards on the ground. Elliot's 16 touchdowns makes him a major player in this one today and the Spartan defense will have troubles slowing him down.
MSU quarterback Connor Cook is having a good season himself with 21 TDs and almost 2,500 yards through the air. Aaron Burbridge has been his favorite target with 65 catches and six scores, Michigan State is going to have to throw the football in this one to pick up the win.
Nobody on the Spartan roster has carried the football 100 times yet this season, but both LJ Scott and Madre London are right around that number. Scott has nine scores on the season and if the Spartans can get him going in this one, they should be able to hang around.
This is huge game with a ton of implications. The two touchdown favorite status seems like a bit much.
Free Pick: Michigan State and the points
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