No. 2 Ohio State and No. 3 Michigan
COLUMBUS, Sporting Alert – All roads lead to Columbus, Ohio, this weekend where No. 2 Ohio State and No. 3 Michigan are scheduled for a vital Big Ten football conference showdown.
ABC will provide live national coverage of the game, with the WatchESPN app also streaming the matchup live, starting at Noon ET. Chris Fowler, Kirk Herbstreit and Sam Ponder will be providing the live commentary.
Live online streaming will be available on ESPN3 and the WatchESPN app.
Both teams enter the game with identical records and know that the winner would more than likely secure a place in the College Football Playoff semi-finals.
Ohio State and Michigan both held their places in the top four of the College Football Playoff Top 25 Rankings on Tuesday night, but one of them could miss the cut with a defeat.
The Wolverines (10-1, 7-1 Big Ten) currently sit atop the Big Ten standings in the East Division, but the Buckeyes (10-1, 7-1 Big Ten) aren’t too far away.
Saturday’s showdown could also determine which team advances to play in the Big Ten tournament, with Penn State (9-2, 7-1 Big Ten), which plays Michigan State on Saturday, also in the discussion for a CFP playoff spot.
Buckeyes Start As Bookies Pick
Bookmakers are backing Ohio State as a 6.5 point favourite, with ESPN’s Football Power Index giving the Buckeyes a 58.8 percent chance to beat Michigan at home.
When the game gets going this weekend, it will be the 11th time the two programs will face-off when they are both ranked in the Top 5 of the Associated Press Top 25 Rankings.
The series is also tied 9-9-1 when both teams are ranked in the AP Top 10.
Overall, this is the 113th meeting in a series that began almost 120 years ago, according to the stats gurus.
The Wolverines lead the all-time series 58-47, with six games ending in ties.
However, the Buckeyes have won four successive games in the series and have beaten Michigan in 12 of the last 14 head-to-head battles.
Note: Ohio State records vs. Michigan exclude 2010.
Last year, Ohio State ran away with this fixture 42-13 in Ann Arbor.
