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Ohio State vs. Michigan State (10/8 @ 4:00 PM EST)
Line: Ohio State (-27)
Total: 65
Ohio State vs Michigan State Breakdown and Betting Odds
Two Big 10 rivals are meeting at Spartan Stadium this Saturday. The No. 3 Ohio State Buckeyes (5-0) play the unranked Michigan State Spartans (2-3) at 4 p.m. ET. The Buckeyes are 27 point favorites over the Spartans and the over/under is set at 65.
Ohio State has dominated Michigan State in their last five matchups, covering the spread five out of five times. The point differential over these games is +178 to the Buckeyes.
Ohio State Overview
Ohio State is coming off a dominating 49-10 victory over the Rutgers Scarlet Knights, which was a push for the -39 point spread. Quarterback CJ Stroud threw for 154 yards, 2 touchdowns, and 1 interception. However, it was running back Miyan Williams who put the team on his back, rushing for 189 yards on 9 yards per carry and 5 touchdowns. Ohio State’s offense has been an absolute juggernaut this season, putting up 244 points and 34 touchdowns in just five games.
They were also able to hold Rutgers to just 10 points, a team that is averaging 24.8 points a game. The Buckeyes’ defense has looked great, allowing the fifth least points in their conference at 74.
Ohio State has been favored by double digits in every game this season but have gone 2-2-1 ATS in their first five games.
Michigan State Overview
Michigan State’s most recent matchup was a 13-27 loss to the Maryland Terrapins last Saturday, in which the Spartans were not able to cover the +7.5 point spread. Despite throwing for 221 yards and 1 touchdown, quarterback Payton Thorne was not able to bring home the win against Maryland, after the Spartan’s offense was only able to score 2 touchdowns to a Maryland team that is giving up over 20 points a game.
The Spartan’s defense was, however, missing three of its starting linemen due to injury. Defensive tackle Jacob Slade, as well as defensive ends Jeff Pietrowski and Khris Bogle were ruled out prior to the game. These are big losses for the Spartans, and definitely had an effect on the defensive playbook during the game.
After getting out to a great 2-0 start to the year, the Spartan’s have lost three straight and are watching as their season slips away. The offense seems to be spotty, scoring 52 points in week 2 and going on to score just 7 in week 4. These kinds of numbers make it hard to back the Spartans going against the No. 3 Buckeyes.
TakingVegas.com 1* Free Pick: Under 65
Because Ohio State has had trouble covering large spreads thus far, and the firecracker offense of Michigan State is hard to predict, we like the Under 65 in this Big 10 matchup. Although the Buckeye’s last three games have gone over, the under has gone 6-1 in the last seven games between these teams. Additionally, the under 4-0 in the last Spartans home games.
