What to Expect

Ohio State will have a difficult time finding a weakness in the Michigan State offense which is very balanced. Connor definitely favors Lippett at receiver, but the Oregon game shows that even a big game from Lippett may not be sufficient for Michigan State. In that game Lippett had 133 yards, but he only had one touchdown reception. Oregon also allowed Michigan State to pass for 343 yards, but Cook only threw a total of two touchdown passes. Oregon was able to pressure Michigan State at the line and limit the running game to 123 yards and force Cook to throw two interceptions. Joey Bosa and the OSU defense should apply a similar strategy of limiting the rushing game, while forcing Cook to make some mistakes. Look for Michigan State to have 110 rushing yards and 250 passing yards.

Michigan State has similar stats to Ohio State on defense, which means Ohio State will struggle to consistently run the ball. Nebraska only had 47 rushing yards while Oregon had 173. It is a bit surprising that Indiana had 213 rushing yards. Ohio State should have more success passing the ball based on the fact that Oregon had 318 passing yards and Nebraska had 282. Look for Ohio State to have 175 rushing yards and 250 passing yards. Ohio State will win this close game 31-28.