Ohio State And Michigan Is A Great Watch Regardless Of Sport

Ohio State vs. Michigan, 8:00 ET

I was able to get another victory in the college ranks last night, and that makes at least four straight at that level. One of those does include the Women's College Hoops look that I had. Again, those tickets cash the same, and they cash the same whether you watch the games or not. Some people prefer to not watch games they bet on anyway because they feel like it is a waste of time they could spend on handicapping the next day. Tonight, whether you watch it or not, Ohio State will take on Michigan.

This isn't quite the football rivalry, but I'm sure these schools don't like each other and don't want to lose, regardless of which sport they are competing in. Ohio State isn't ranked, but don't take that to mean they are a terrible team. They are 13-5 for the season, and it has been a fairly impressive campaign to this point in the season. They are struggling in Big Ten games to this point, losing three of eight. Their losses this season hve come at the hands of Pittsburgh, Illinois, North Carolina, Nebraska, and Washington. Two of the losses were at home, two on the road, and one on a neutral court. However, in all of the losses, they have been competitive. They have three losses by one possession. The other two were by eight or fewer points. Maybe they can't quite finish the deal against tough competition, but they do find ways to at least remain relevant in the game. 

Jan 20, 2026; Columbus, Ohio, USA;  Ohio State Buckeyes guard Bruce Thornton (2) and Ohio State Buckeyes guard John Mobley Jr. (0) celebrate after the game against the Minnesota Golden Gophers at Value City Arena. Mandatory Credit: Joseph Maiorana-Imagn Images

Michigan looked like the best team in the country for a while, and they are still one of the more dominant teams in the nation. They are currently ranked third overall and enter with a 17-1 record. Their lone loss came at home in a three-point defeat at the hands of Wisconsin. This was a bit of a surprise game, but they did look like they were starting to trend toward a loss when they dropped it. They struggled against Penn State and then fell to Wisconsin. Since that game, they have gone back to their winning ways, beating their next three opponents by at least 10 points. If you want to knock Michigan for anything, it is that they haven't had a very challenging schedule at this point. However, they have faced three ranked teams, Auburn, Gonzaga, and USC. It isn't just that they won those games, they demolished each of them. It is unique in some ways, but they won each of those three games by exactly 30 points. 

The bottom line here is that Ohio State remains competitive in games, and Michigan can demolish anyone if they put their mind to it. When they want to, they hold opponents to about 65 points, and they score in the 90s. The total on this game has increased to 165.5, which doesn't bode well for Ohio State in my opinion. You really don't want to get into a shootout with the Wolverines. I think the total is a bit too high, though. I expect a final somewhere closer to 85-72, which only puts us at 157. Give me the under. 

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