No. 3 Ohio State opens its Big Ten conference schedule with a trip to East Lansing, Michigan, where the undefeated Buckeyes will face the Michigan State Spartans. It’s been an impressive start to the season for Ohio State, which breezed through its nonconference schedule and hardly broke a sweat in the process.
Perhaps the Buckeyes’ first road game of the season against a 3-1 Michigan State team will provide a touch more resistance?
Recent history suggests probably not!
Michigan State won three of the five meetings between these programs from 2011 to 2015, but it’s been all Buckeyes since. Not only has Ohio State won the last eight matchups, but it’s done so by an average of 30.4 points.
What could work in Michigan State’s favor is that it has already faced Big Ten competition, picking up a 27-24 road win over Maryland in Week 2. The Spartans are coming off a 23-19 road loss last week to Boston College.
Ohio State vs Michigan State: Need to know
Ohio State outscored its nonconference opponents 157-20: I mentioned the Buckeyes barely broke a sweat in their nonconference slate, and if they did, it was only from sprinting long distances on their way to scoring touchdowns. Only Marshall managed to score a touchdown against the Buckeyes (and it scored two), but nobody was ever able to keep it close. It’s the first time since 1919 that Ohio State has won its first three games of the season by at least 35 points.
Michigan State has more turnovers than any team in the Big Ten: It’s not the category you want to lead anybody in, but the Spartans enter the game with 10 turnovers on the season. Not only is it the most in the Big Ten, but it ranks tied for 127th of 134 teams in the country. It’s the road often traveled by teams with young quarterbacks. Aidan Chiles is a talented QB with a special arm, but he’s thrown seven interceptions this season to only four touchdowns.
Ohio State has won 42 straight against unranked opponents: It’s a stat that doesn’t bode well for the Spartans here. It is the longest active streak among FBS programs, and the third-longest of the last 30 seasons. The last loss Ohio State suffered to a team without one of those cool numbers next to its name was in 2018 against Purdue. The Buckeyes were shocked 49-20 by the Boilermakers. While they’d go on to win the Big Ten that year, the loss kept them out of the College Football Playoff. Instead they beat Washington 28-23 in the Rose Bowl.
How to watch Ohio State vs Michigan State live
Date: Saturday, Sept. 28 | Time: 7 p.m. ET
Location: Spartan Stadium — East Lansing, MI
Live stream: Peacock
Ohio State vs Michigan State prediction, picks
Michigan State will be the best team Ohio State has played so far, but I don’t think we’ve seen a true glimpse at what Ohio State’s capable of. We’ve only seen a facade of what the new Buckeyes offense will look like under Chip Kelly, and defensive coordinator Jim Knowles hasn’t been forced to go deep into his playbook, either. That latter part worries me when it comes to Aidan Chiles and his propensity to turn the ball over. Pick: Ohio State -24
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