It’s dress rehearsal week for No. 2 Ohio State and No. 3 Michigan as the Big Ten East rivals make their final preparations for their all-important showdown next week. The Buckeyes travel to Maryland as 27.5-point favorites while the Wolverines host Illinois as 18-point favorites in a game that, unfortunately, has lost some of its luster over the last couple of weeks.
When Illinois was 7-1 and ranked No. 14 after winning at Nebraska on Oct. 29, the Illini looked like they might be able to play the role of being a rare quality opponent on Michigan’s schedule. After losing two straight and falling from the College Football Playoff Rankings, however, the Illini are looking more like the other mediocre Big Ten teams the Wolverines have been beating up on this season.
Illinois’ fall from national prominence only heightens the importance of next week’s game at Ohio State for Michigan, which will likely be unable to sustain a loss against the Buckeyes and still reach the College Football Playoff. Were Illinois entering this week’s game 9-1, perhaps a win over the Illini would give Michigan some insulation against a loss next week. But that was not in the cards.
Ohio State is in slightly better shape because of its Week 1 victory over a Notre Dame team that is No. 18 in the CFP Rankings. That win may keep the Buckeyes in the CFP conversation should they lose against Michigan next week. But enough about next week and beyond. There are seven games to play in the Big Ten this week, and we’ve got picks for each of them.
2022 record: 33-28-2
Featured Game | Maryland Terrapins vs. Ohio State Buckeyes
Maryland is just about tapped out. That was the takeaway from the Terrapins’ 30-0 loss at Penn State last week in which they mustered just 134 total yards. Penn State didn’t score a touchdown in the second half and still won by 30. Ohio State has scored more than 40 points in eight of 10 games this season and should be able to do so again against the Terrapins’ average defense. The Buckeyes have outscored Maryland by an obscene…
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