ANN ARBOR, MI — With kickoff between the No.1 ranked Ohio State Buckeyes and archrival Michigan Wolverines hours away, here are my final thoughts and official prediction of the latest chapter of “The Game”
2,197 days.
If you’re a Buckeye fan, you know this number all too well, go on any online fan discussion forum, or scroll across any memes on social media, and it is the number of days—four years—that it has been since the Buckeyes defeated That Team Up North.
Trust me, we know.
Since last years shocking 13-10 upset loss to The Maize and Blue in Columbus, the Buckeyes have seemingly been hellbent I’m getting back to this point in winning their last 16 straight games, counting the CFP playoffs, to get back to this point, and another crack at the Wolverines.
This time, it’s in the Big House.
And this time, I see the Buckeyes ending the streak.
The reason why, is that that the elite defense that defensive coordinator Matt Patricia has brought from the NFL, along with two potential til first round picks in Arvell Reese and Caleb Downs, plus Sonny Styles will put a clamp on the Michigan offense and freshman quarterback Bryce Underwood.
With media reports confirming the return of WR’s Carnell Tate and Jeremiah Smith, look for QB Julian Sayin to have a prolific passing game, despite the cold weather.
Personally, all the hype about the Buckeyes not being able to play in cold conditions is white noise, but look for freshman running back Bo Jackson and TE Max Klare to have big games, as the Wolverines will likely try to take away both Smith and Tate.
Also, look for WR3 Brandon Iniss to make some key plays underneath.
This game means more to Ohio State, especially head coach Ryan Day, who is 1-4 vs. TTUN and is desperate to get that Michigan monkey off his back, and silence all the trolls once and for all.
I feel that not only do the Buckeyes win, but end all talk of Day being born on third base, once and for all.
Prediction: Ohio State 35 That Team Up North 10