What’s at stake?
Ohio State wants revenge after losing three in a row to Jim Harbaugh-led Michigan teams. Some of the Buckeyes’ star players said another chance to beat “That Team Up North” was one of the reasons they returned for another season instead of entering the NFL draft. All three of those losses to Michigan kept Ohio State out of the Big Ten championship game. There’s not as much at stake this time for Michigan a year after winning the national championship. Michigan is a middle-of-the pack team that just became bowl eligible.
Key matchup
Michigan quarterback Davis Warren vs. Ohio State defense. Warren lost his job early in the season and then won it back. He’ll have his work cut out for him. The Buckeyes defense is playing as well as it has all year, sacking Indiana quarterback Kurtis Rourke five times, forcing mistakes and holding the Hoosiers to a season-low 153 yards last week.
Players to watch
Michigan: Third-year RB Kalel Mullings is having a breakout season. The converted linebacker has rushed for 832 yards and 11 touchdowns. He carried 12 times for 92 yards — a 7.7 yards-per-carry average — in Michigan’s 50-6 thumping of Northwestern last week.
Ohio State: WR Emeka Egbuka had seven catches for 80 yards and a touchdown in Ohio State’s 38-15 rout of then-No. 5 Indiana. He’s compiled 692 receiving yards and nine TDs this season.
Facts & figures
This will be the 120th meeting between Michigan and Ohio State... Michigan has won the last three following a string of eight Buckeyes victories. ... Colston Loveland needs 99 yards and three TDs to set Michigan season records for a tight end. ... Michigan’s Dominic Zvada is the Big Ten’s most accurate kicker with a 93.8% rate for field goals (15 of 16). ... Michigan has eight players on the roster from the state of Ohio. ... Michigan’s running backs coach Tony Alford was a long-time assistant at Ohio State before making the switch last spring after Sherrone Moore took over for Harbaugh, who moved on to the NFL to coach the Los Angeles Chargers. ... The all-time series between Ohio State and Michigan in games played in Columbus is 28-28-2 and the Buckeyes’ last win at home was in 2018. .. The overall series dates back to 1897, when the Wolverines claimed a 34-0 victory over the Buckeyes in Ann Arbor. ... Ohio State QB Will Howard is one of the most efficient passers in school history. The Kansas State transfer completed 80% of his passes for the sixth time this season. No other Buckeyes QB has done that. ... Michigan comes into The Game unranked for the first time since 2017.
