In less than an hour, Mel Tucker and his No. 7 Michigan State Spartans will invade The Horseshoe in Columbus to take on the No. 4 ranked Ohio State Buckeyes.
If the Spartans can pull off what would be a huge upset, they will be just one win away from a spot in the Big Ten Championship.
If Michigan State wants any shot whatsoever at winning on Saturday, they will have to do the following.
- Control the ball on offense – If Kenneth Walker III can have one of his usual days, where he is gaining yards after contact, the Spartans will be able to play a ball-control game, which will keep the Ohio State offense off of the field.
- Don’t settle for field goals – When the Spartans get in the red zone, they have to score touchdowns. The Buckeyes absolutely will put up some points in this game and MSU will have to keep up.
- Slow down the Ohio State passing game – C.J. Stroud has been nothing short of amazing in his first season as the OSU QB and you can bet he is licking his chops as the Spartans’ pass defense has been abysmal in 2021. If Michigan State can not slow down the Buckeyes passing attack, OSU will score over 40 points, which will be too much to overcome.
I have been saying all year that I do not think Michigan State is a “great” football team and on Saturday, they will match up against a “great” Ohio State offense that is averaging over 550 yards per game.
I just cannot imagine the Spartans stopping C.J. Stroud and the Buckeyes’ receivers in this one.
FINAL SCORE PREDICTION
MICHIGAN STATE 23 (+18.5)
OHIO STATE 37