Ohio State heads north for The Game against the surging Michigan Wolverines with gold pants and the Big Ten Championship Game on the line.

The Ohio State Buckeyes will close out the regular season the same way that they always do, as they will travel to Ann Arbor to face off against TTUN. The Wolverines are now in the top-15 after Tuesday’s College Football Playoff rankings came out, and have won their last two games on the road after their bye week.

The Buckeyes demolished Rutgers at home last week and have played three of their four games at home since their bye week. This will be just the second road game for the Buckeyes in over a month, and in this game, you can throw all the previous stats and records out the window.

Every year, there are storylines galore heading into this game, and this year is no different. For Ohio State, their undefeated season is on the line as they look to right their recent wrongs against their rivals up north en route to potentially another national championship. They also have two Heisman trophy candidates, two wide receivers who have been battling injuries, and a whole lot of guys who want their first pair of gold pants.

For TTUN, they are the winners of the last four games in this rivalry and are back at home with their highly touted freshman quarterback. They have two losses, but just one in conference play, and have postseason aspirations of their own, including a potential playoff berth, as they are now ranked No. 15.

Both teams put up some points in their last games and have momentum heading into the biggest game not just for these two teams, but in all of college football. Let’s break down what happened in each team’s last outing and what should be expected come Saturday.

Buckeyes Remain Perfect Heading Into The Game

Ohio State used a strong second-half to pull away from Rutgers on senior day and finished their regular-season home finale with a 42-9 win. Carnell Tate and Jeremiah Smith were both unavailable in this one as they work their way back from injuries with bigger games ahead.

The Ohio State offense still put up 42 points even without its top two receivers, who are arguably the best two in college football. Julian Sayin threw the ball just 19 times and completed 13 passes for 157 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions. Tight end Max Klare was his favorite target as he had over half the completions, and posted a season-high seven receptions and 105 yards, as well as a touchdown.

David Adolph filled in the starting lineup and had two catches of his own for 23 yards. Brandon Inniss was the only other player with more than one catch, which included a nice touchdown in the back corner of the end zone. This was another game where the ground game made plays to help out the offense.

The Buckeyes’ offense rushed for 254 yards and four touchdowns, led by freshman Bo Jackson, who had 19 carries for 110 yards and two touchdowns. A very complete game for Jackson and another week where he showed why he is the team’s best option. James Peoples had 55 yards on three carries, including a 49-yard touchdown to put the cherry on top of this one. Isaiah West got involved again with eight carries for 48 yards, while backup quarterback Lincoln Kienholz had three carries for 37 yards. CJ Donaldson found the endzone yet again as the Buckeyes put together a dominant ground game performance.

The Rutgers offense boasts some talented players, but nobody could get going in this one. They threw the ball 20 times for just 81 yards, and the ground game had 35 carries for just 66 yards. Running back Antwan Raymond had 52 yards, including a 15-yard run, and had the lone touchdown for the Scarlet Knights late in the game. No receiver had more than 34 yards, and the passing game struggled as much as they have all season.

Caden Curry had an impressive senior day, which included six total tackles, four solo tackles, two sacks, two tackles for loss, and a forced fumble and fumble recovery that set the Buckeyes offense up at the goal line. Sonny Styles was flying around as always and had five total tackles, half of a sack, and half of a tackle for loss. The Buckeyes had four sacks and six tackles for loss on the day and were able to give many players reps with the game out of reach. It was yet another dominant performance, and the players will be feeling good before their trip up north this weekend.

TTUN Win Their 5th-Straight

That Team Up North went down 7-0 early but answered with three touchdown drives of their own and led 21-10 at halftime en route to a 45-20 win. They used a balanced attack on offense and a stout run defense to power their way to a fifth-straight win ahead of The Game.

Freshman quarterback Bryce Underwood made some plays in this one and finished the game 16/23 for 215 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions. Freshman wide receiver Andrew Marsh was his main target as he led the Wolverines in receptions (5) and receiving yards (76). Marsh and Donaven McCulley had the two touchdowns from Underwood on the day.

The ground game was led by running back Bryson Kuzdzal, who has filled in the last two games after key injuries in the Wolverine backfield. He toted the rock 20 times for 100 yards and found the end zone three times. Running back Tomas O’Meara got involved with 71 yards rushing, and running back Jasper Parker found the end zone for one of the four rushing scores.

Maryland wasn’t very efficient throwing the ball, threw an interception, but finished with 276 passing yards as they trailed for most of the game. They were unable to gain momentum against TTUN’s rushing defense, as they had just 71 rushing yards on 25 carries.

Defensive back Mason Curtis led the team in tackles with six total tackles and two solo tackles. Linebacker Jaishawn Barham had a big day with four total tackles, two tackles for loss, and a sack. As a team, they had five tackles for loss and three sacks in this one to go along with the only turnover in the game.

Buckeyes Look To Earn The Momentum Back

The Game has not gone the Buckeyes’ way as of late, as they have lost the last four in the series. A cancelled game during the COVID pandemic means Ohio State has not won since 2019. After a streak of eight straight starting in 2012, it’s been six years without a win. The team that resides in Columbus had just one loss between 2004 and 2019, and it’s about time we get this thing back in the right hands.

The storylines are everywhere, and some will be figured out right before the game when we find out the fate of Carnell Tate and Jeremiah Smith. Both Smith and Julian Sayin have had Heisman-worthy numbers, and could have their Heisman moment in this one. I expect the offense to focus on its main guys rather than giving every player touches, but guys will definitely be asked to step up.

Regardless of who plays, Brandon Inniss and Max Klare will need to show their veteran leadership and make plays for their young quarterback in a hostile environment. The young backs, Bo Jackson and Isaiah West, will need to play smart and hopefully get some big holes behind the offensive line.

The defense has been the best in the country, and arguably the best of the past decade. They are so good that I am not as worried as I should be about this game and our offense, because I know it will be very hard for TTUN to score more than 17 in this one. The defense has first-round talent all up the middle and has corners who can take away anything through the air.

This is where you can become a Buckeye legend, and nobody wants it more than guys like Sonny Styles, Caden Curry, and Ryan Day. I expect them to be more aggressive and play our style of football, not succumbing to the pressure that we have to win in the trenches. I think if Tate plays, he will be the X-factor in this one, and on defense, I expect Caleb Downs and Arvell Reese to prove why they should walk away with National awards.

The defense holds TTUN until the offense can get comfortable, then they hold them some more. Smith and Tate both find the end zone, and a key turnover in the second half leads to the Ohio State Buckeyes defeating the Michigan Wolverines and winning their first pair of gold pants in way too long.

Prediction: Ohio State 31 Michigan 13