Michigan State vs. Ohio St. Total Pick
Will the points pile up quickly when No. 11 Ohio State plays host to No. 13 Michigan State on Saturday at Noon ET?
According to oddsmakers at Bovada.lv, Ohio State is favored at home, as the Buckeyes are getting odds of -14.5 points against Michigan State. The over/under total for the contest has been set at 55 points. The road team has won six of the last seven meetings in this series and the two have hit the under in their last two encounters. The public is currently putting 85 percent of the wagers on Michigan State on the road. Saturday’s game takes place from Ohio Stadium in Columbus, Ohio. The contest will air live on FOX.
Michigan State is coming off a big upset win at home, beating Penn State 27-24 at home last week. The Spartans are now 7-2 on the season and 5-1 in the Big Ten. MSU has hit the under in five of their nine games, but are 2-1 with the over on the road. Michigan State has been led by its defense, which is allowing just 20.1 points and 303.7 yards per game. The Spartans are holding opponents to only 87 rushing yards per contest. Offensively, MSU is putting up 24.1 points and 402.6 yards per contest. Brian Lewerke has thrown for 2,207 yards and 16 touchdowns this year with just five interceptions. He also has 368 yards and three scores. LJ Scott is the leading rusher with 554 yards and five touchdowns. Felton Davis III is the top receiver with 45 catches for 586 yards and eight touchdowns.
Ohio State is coming off getting thrashed by Iowa last week, 55-24 on the road. The Buckeyes fell to 7-2 on the season with the loss and they are also 5-1 in the Big Ten. Ohio State has hit the over in seven of nine games, including their last six. While the OSU defense is giving up just 22.3 points and 323 yards per game on the season, the Buckeyes allowed Iowa to rack up 487 total yards on them last week. Offensively, Ohio State is putting up 43.8 points and 549 yards per contest. J.T. Barrett has thrown for 2,374 yards and 28 touchdowns this year while also rushing for 517 yards and five scores. His top receiver, Parris Campbell, sat out last week’s game due to a concussion and is questionable for this game as well. Freshman J.K. Dobbins is the leading rusher with 914 yards and five touchdowns.
Bet on Michigan State vs. Ohio State
After getting hammered by Iowa, many probably expect Ohio State to bounce back in a big way this weekend. However, Michigan State has been a real thorn in the side of Ohio State. Even last year, when MSU was awful, the Spartans still lost by just one point (17-16) to the Buckeyes. Michigan State has also won its last two trips to Ohio State in games that were under 35 points total. I think this is another low-scoring grind of a game.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL PREDICTION: MICHIGAN STATE/OHIO STATE UNDER 55