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Ohio State football: 5 reasons Buckeyes will be better than Michigan in 2018

By Evan Whitmoyer

ANN ARBOR, MI - NOVEMBER 25: Urban Meyer head coach of the Ohio State Buckeyes and Jim Harbaugh head coach of the Michigan Wolverines shake hands after the game. Ohio State won 31 to 20 on November 25, 2017 at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor, Michigan. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
ANN ARBOR, MI - NOVEMBER 25: Urban Meyer head coach of the Ohio State Buckeyes and Jim Harbaugh head coach of the Michigan Wolverines shake hands after the game. Ohio State won 31 to 20 on November 25, 2017 at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor, Michigan. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) /
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Ohio State football has won the last six times against Michigan, and the trend should continue in 2018 with the amount of talent it returns.

Ohio State enters the 2018 season with off-the-field issues at the forefront of their program. Urban Meyer’s future as their head coach is in question, and there is a lot of uncertainty for current players, staff, and recruits.

Still, Ohio State has an immense amount of talent that is difficult to compete with no matter who is coaching. Michigan is one of many teams that will stand in the way of another College Football Playoff appearance.

Michigan is one of the top teams in the Big 10, but even if they beat Ohio State during the season, it is unlikely that they will finish with a higher ranking at the end of the season. Ohio State is definitely the better team mainly due to their talent at all positions and some of Michigan’s glaring weaknesses.

5. Shea Patterson is overrated

Michigan has had a few good quarterbacks the last few seasons, but they have not had an elite quarterback since Denard Robinson. This season, they will have Shea Patterson, who transferred from Ole Miss.

Patterson is expected to be a major factor in Michigan’s success this season, and he should be a better quarterback than John O’Korn last season. He was a five-star recruit and the top pro-style quarterback in the 2016 recruiting class according to 247sports. He has all the tools and the athleticism to be a star quarterback.

Unfortunately, he struggled as a starter at Ole Miss. In two seasons, Patterson played in 10 games and finished with 23 touchdowns and 12 interceptions.

His record as a starter was a dismal 4-6 and turnovers will continue to hurt him in the Big 10 Conference. He has been pegged as the “savior” of this Michigan team, but he is just a very good quarterback and should not be considered elite.

Michigan will rely heavily on him this season along with running back Karan Higdon, but Patterson has shown no evidence of being an elite quarterback that can lead Michigan to a Big 10 Title based on his limited success at Ole Miss.

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