What to Expect

Ohio State enters the game with one of the more comfortable point spreads in recent history of The Game. However, Michigan is very hungry and wanting to play the role of spoiler, as it did in the 90's with Cooper at the helm at Ohio State. Speaking of Cooper, some of the comments by Rodriguez reminded me of Cooper, as Rod was downplaying the game this week, saying there are more important matters, including the economy. Yes Rod, there are bigger issues, but this is Michigan week, you can't tell your fans that there are more important matters. One columnist in Detroit said it well when he asked how a coach making millions could bring up the issue of the economy to defray attention. I was also surprised by the comments by Michigan players, basically saying that if things go well they could maybe win. That is not a very convincing statement.

I think for Michigan it will be simple, they need to run well to stay in the game. The spread offense under Rodriguez works best when there is a run threat, as seen with Pat White at WV. OSU has typically done well against the run, but Illinois had success running the ball last week. Look for Beanie to have a big day, 150-200 yards. If we have success throwing the ball, this could be high scoring game with 30-40 points. I don't expect it to be close, but with The Game you can never count out the rival team.