Ohio State Football: Game-by-game predictions for 2018
By Shane Lunnen
Rivalry week is here and of course it is Michigan versus Ohio State. Depending on how the rest of the conference plays out, this could be for the Big Ten East, a trip to Indianapolis, and perhaps even more on the national level.
Ohio State has dominated this series as of late. Six straight victories for the Buckeyes and the Wolverines have not won in Columbus this century, their last win in the Horseshoe coming in 2000. Should we expect a different result this season? At some point Jim Harbaugh will need to start beating his chief rivals of Michigan State and Ohio State if he wants to keep his job. His current record of 1-5 versus those teams plus the fact Michigan has not won a Big Ten title since 2004 and the fans are getting a little restless in Ann Arbor these days.
The good news for Michigan is they have Ole Miss transfer quarterback Shea Patterson and by this point in the season, we will know exactly what Patterson brings to the table for the Maize and Blue. The Wolverines also return most of what was a top-five defense from a year ago.
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The 2018 edition of this classic rivalry will be a fun back and forth affair. Patterson plays well under center, but Dwayne Haskins outplays him in the end. Michigan’s defense does all it can to slow down the Buckeyes offense, but they put up touchdowns on their last two possessions to break Wolverine hearts once again. The Buckeyes notch an 11 win mark, which should keep them in the discussion for the College Football Playoff.
Final: Michigan 28, Ohio State 35 (11-1, 8-1 Big Ten)