The 2022-23 Ohio State football season hangs in the balance on Saturday at noon as the Buckeyes have the chance to control their destiny. “The Game” against archrival, “Team Up North”, is for all the marbles. The winner will head to the Big Ten Championship and likely secure a spot in the College Football Playoff.

This matchup between No. 2 Ohio State and No. 3 Michigan is sure to be a game for the ages. The importance, anxiety levels, and anticipation of this game rivals that of 2016, 2018, and even 2006, which was known as the Game of the Century.

As “The Game” looms ever closer, we’ll present three key elements of this matchup to watch:

1. Michigan Offense

At this point, it is no secret that Michigan’s star running back, Blake Corum, suffered a knee injury last week against Illinois. The extent of this injury has been kept quiet, with many analysts stating it is likely a bone bruise or MCL sprain. His value to the offense is immense, he has accounted for 1,457 rushing yards and 18 TDs, the next most used RB, Donovan Edwards, has 471 yards and 4 TDs, who is also battling an injury. If either or both of these players miss the game or are limited, Michigan’s run heavy offense will be drastically impacted.

Even if both or one of these players are healthy, Michigan is still faced with a tough task offensively. It has been evident throughout this season that Ohio State is much better against the run than the pass. This will likely mean that if Ohio State can limit the run, the game will be won or lost on the arm of JJ McCarthy.

This could make things very interesting. The Michigan coaches have put very little effort into developing McCarthy as a passer. His accuracy is poor and his ability to hit shots 15+ yards downfield isn’t great. He would have to take a massive step forward in his confidence and passing abilities if he was asked to sling it around against the Buckeyes.

2. Ohio State Run Game

While, the Ohio State passing offense has been one of the most prolific in the country, the run game has had its struggles. Although the numbers have been relatively solid week to week, it is the consistency that has lacked. At times, the Buckeyes’ offensive line has moved defensive fronts with ease and the run game has shined, such as against Rutgers. While in other cases it has been hard to pick up third and short on the ground and seemed impossible to create holes.

However, a new variable has been thrown into this equation. With Miyan Williams injured and TreVeyon Henderson tweaking an injury early on, freshman Dallan Hayden had his breakout game against Maryland. Almost all of his work came in the second half, as he carried the ball 27 times for 146 yards and 3 touchdowns.

The Buckeyes will obviously look to be a pass first team and air it out against TTUN. But, maintaining balance and forcing their opponent to respect the run is very important to that success. As Miyan Williams eyes a return, the use of Hayden and Williams will be essential to generating offensive success. TreVeyon Henderson’s status remains up in the air, but if he is healthy, Ohio State could have a 3-headed monster to share the backfield snaps.

3. Weather

When playing football in late November in the Midwest, the nature element is always in play. As many Ohioans and even those from up north know, the weather forecasts can change quickly. Even just between the first three days of this week there have been reports of ‘53 degrees, cloudy, and light wind’ to ‘38 degrees, rainy, and wind gusts.’

At the end of the day, the predictions are irrelevant. It is the weather at kickoff and over the course of play that will matter.

If rain and winds do arise, the Ohio State pass game will be tested and running will become more important. We saw some glaring issues present themselves against Northwestern when weather had a massive impact. However, since then Ohio State did show the ability to pass, run, and protect the ball in wet conditions when facing Indiana.

Ultimately, for both of these teams weather would be impactful. But overcoming this challenge would just be a necessary step towards greatness.

Expectations:

Overall, there are many factors that will contribute to the epic matchup that will take place in Columbus on November 26th. These just highlight the main talking points and show how every aspect is being accounted for in preparation.

I believe the Buckeyes will be hungry for a victory, especially after last year’s devastating loss. There are Big Ten Championship game and College Football Playoff hopes on the horizon, but Coach Day will have this team dialed in. The Buckeyes to get the job done in a slug fest.

Final: 31-22, Ohio State

Featured image: Mike Mulholland, Getty Images