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The final week of the college football regular season is here. That part of the year is ending, but the hunt for a national championship is only beginning. This season has flown by, and now we have just one slate of games that will determine who will go on to all four power conference title games. There isn't one conference that has the title game locked. The Ohio State football team is in good position to earn a bid in the Big Ten, but to do so, they have to win The Game. The best rivalry in sports is here. It's Michigan-Ohio State week.
It doesn't get any better than The Game. Michigan and Ohio State absolutely hate each other, they always deliver some terrific football games. The Buckeyes haven't beaten the Wolverines since 2019, but they are big favorites this weekend. Will they end their skid, or will Michigan play spoiler?
Before we talk about predictions for this game, let's take a deeper look at both of these teams.
Michigan is having a down year
The Michigan football team won a national championship back in January, and now they are 6-5 with no hope of any postseason success. The Wolverines will head to a mediocre bowl game, but a win against Ohio State this weekend would make a down year feel a lot better.
This is year one for Sherrone Moore leading the Wolverines, and to be fair, he wasn't given much from last year's squad to work with. Michigan has lost everything from last season, and it has shown.
So far, however, Michigan has won all three of their rivalry games. They beat Minnesota to keep the Little Brown Jug in Ann Arbor, they beat Michigan State to keep the Paul Bunyan Trophy and they knocked off Northwestern last weekend to hold on to the George Jewett Trophy. However, this game against Ohio State is going to be a bit different than those three.
This has to be the year for Ryan Day and Ohio State
Ryan Day has been tremendous in the Big Ten since taking over at Ohio State. Well, against every team not named Michigan. Day has had an issue beating the Wolverines as he has lost three in a row, and if he can't do it this year, Buckeyes fans will be livid.
Day couldn't have asked for an easier setup this season. Michigan lost just about all of their star players from last season, they have a new head coach, an entirely new coaching staffand they will be coming to Columbus. It can't get any easier than this for Ryan Day and Ohio State.
Ohio State is a big favorite, but you can throw the records out the window for this rivalry. When Michigan was down during the Rich Rodriguez and Brady Hoke era, the Buckeyes were up. There were still a lot of very close games in the rivalry. The one good year Michigan had during that stretch was a down year for Ohio State. That game was also close. This rivalry produces close contests.
If Ohio State wants to win, they still need to play their best. It's The Game. Here are three predictions for it:
Jeremiah Smith will score two touchdowns
Ohio State always has a big time wide receiver, and they always make big plays in big games. In recent years, it's been Marvin Harrison Jr. Now, it's Jeremiah Smith. This Michigan secondary has shown some weaknesses, and they will likely be without their star, Will Johnson. No one will be able to hang with Smith, and he will go on to have a big day.
Will Howard will throw for over 300 yards
Jeremiah Smith will have a big day, and quarterback Will Howard will as well. Not having Will Johnson will be tough for the Wolverines, and their secondary just isn't going to be able to keep up with all these weapons. The Wolverines have to attack this injured Buckeyes' offensive line and get a ton of pressure on Howard if they want a chance. It won't be enough, however.
Ohio State will win 31-10
Ohio State will end their losing streak in the rivalry this weekend, and it won't be very close. Yes, a lot of the time the records can be thrown out and this can be a good game no matter what. Not this year. The Buckeyes will be too much for Michigan to handle, and there's a chance the Wolverines don't have their best offensive weapon, Colston Loveland. Without him, they won't be able to move the football.
The Game will get going at 12:14 ET on Saturday from Ohio Stadium in Columbus, and it will be airing on Fox. Ohio State is currently favored by 20.5 points.
Week 14 college football preview
The final week of the college football season is always a fun one. The Game is the biggest rivalry in all of sports, and it doesn't get better. However, there are a lot of other good rivalry games lined up for this week, and it should be a fun slate to watch.
ESPN's College GameDay will be heading to College Station this weekend as Texas A&M will be hosting Texas, and that's a huge one as both teams are trying to find a way into the SEC title game. Here are some other big games around college football:
In the ACC, Clemson is pulling for a Miami loss. The Tigers are done in conference play as they are going up against South Carolina this weekend, and they need the Hurricanes to lose on the road against Syracuse.
Things are absolutely chaotic in the Big 12. There are currently four teams with a 6-2 record at the top and those teams are Colorado, Arizona State, BYU and Iowa State. The Buffaloes are hosting Oklahoma State, the Sun Devils are at Arizona, the Cougars are hosting Utah and the Cyclones are hosting Kansas State. There is potential for some crazy tiebreakers.
In the Big Ten, everything really comes down to The Game. If Ohio State beats Michigan, they're in. If the Buckeyes lose and Penn State and Indiana take care of business as big favorites, there is a tie between the Hoosiers and Nittany Lions as they would both have one loss to Ohio State, but the Buckeyes would have two losses. Penn State would own the tiebreaker over Indiana.
Lastly, we know that Georgia will be in the SEC title game, and if Texas beats Texas A&M, then they meet the Bulldogs. If not, we would have four teams tied atop the standings with same record, and tiebreakers would come into play. It could get interesting if the Aggies win.
One last college football Saturday. Enjoy it, folks.
