NCAA Football Trends – Michigan Wolverines at Ohio State Buckeyes
This is not the marquee matchup it has been in the past, but on Saturday they will lace ’em up again in a rivalry where sometimes you can throw the records out the window. The Ohio State Buckeyes (9-2 SU, 4-6 ATS), who still have some designs on the Big Ten title, will play host to the struggling Michigan Wolverines (3-8 SU, 2-9 ATS) in NCAA college football sports betting action that is scheduled to kick off at Noon ET at Ohio Stadium (artificial turf) in Columbus, O.
BetUS NCAA Football Betting Odds: OHIO STATE -20.5, Total 44.5
Here are some of the NCAA college football betting trends as they relate to this matchup:
* MICH has covered one of its last seven games
* MICH has lost six of its last seven games SU
* MICH has played six of its last nine games OVER the total
* MICH has won and covered 12 of its last 18 road games
* MICH has covered two of its last six road games
* MICH has played six of its last seven road games OVER the total
* OSU has covered four of its last six games
* OSU has won seven of its last eight games SU
* OSU is 0-5 ATS in its last five home games
* OSU has won 22 of its last 25 home games SU
* OSU has played four of its last five home games UNDER the total
Also….
* OSU has covered five of the last seven meetings
* OSU has won six of the last seven meetings SU
* Four of the last five meetings have gone UNDER the total
* OSU has won four of the last five meetings SU as the home team
It appears to me that this has been something of a “throwaway” year for Rich Rodriguez and Michigan, if you pardon the expression. He knew that it might take a season or two for him to gather the kind of players necessary to make his spread offense go, so he’s spent the season trying to find who is going to be in his future. And he red-shirted Justin Feagin, a spread quarterback, so that he would be able to compete with two early-committed recruits for the job and develop when some of the right personnel came in.
But that doesn’t mean the Wolverines will not come up with a big effort here. Ohio State still has a chance to go into the BCS, and indeed the Buckeyes are rated #10 in those BCS rankings, but for Michigan, this can constitute the kind of satisfaction that carries over into the off-season, especially in light of the worst season in 34 years.
Yes, there is an uphill battle. Last year Michigan had Chad Henne and Mario Manningham and Mike Hart and still managed only 91 total yards and three points against an OSU team that wound up in the title game. This year Michigan has been held to 21 points or less seven times, and part of it is that they have been caught up between systems. Steven Threat has completed only 51% of his passes.
Freshman Terelle Pryor of Ohio State has been more efficient by comparison, and it looks like coach Jim Tressel is getting what he wants out of him. Pryor got his first 100-yard rushing game of the season against Illinois last week, and has thrown one interception in the last five games. Off the strength of 283 yards the last two weeks, Chris Wells is going to top 1000 yards.
Ohio State is +14 in turnovers, while Michigan is minus-9. That’s another substantial difference for a team that is highly motivated. The big weapon on the field is Wells, who had 222 yards in last year’s meeting. Michigan is 66th in total defense. There is work to do, and it won’t get done by Saturday. There have been a lot of upsets in this series, but we’re not going to see one here. Lay points with Ohio State, the 20.5-point favorite in the BetUS NCAA college football sports betting odds.
