Mammoth Blog

t is one of the greatest rivalries in all of sports, and it will take place this Saturday at noon eastern time. A game simply known as "The Big One" in the midwest, the Ohio State vs. Michigan battle takes on a life of its own every single year. This year the Buckeyes have clinched the Rose Bowl Berth and sit 10th in the BCS standings, but Rich Rodriguez's Wolverines would love nothing more than to upset the Buckeyes and become bowl eligible themselves. Get an extra $500 to bet on football when you sign up at BetUS and make an initial deposit of $500 or more.

The Ohio State Buckeyes haven't done things in a very pretty way this year, but that is kind of the way Jim Tressel's teams often win. The team is very strong defensively, but the offense isn't where it needs to be for them to be among the best teams in the country. Terrelle Pryor has been a bit of a disappointment to most Buckeye fans this year since so much was expected from him. Pryor is completing just 55.8% of his passes and has thrown 9 interceptions this season. Pryor has shown some improvement in recent weeks, but the offense is very vanilla and Pryor has been most dangerous when he is running the football. Between Pryor and Brandon Saine the Buckeyes often have two speedsters in the backfield and two guys who can break free and go the distance at any time. Devier Posey is emerging as a top wide receiver and has 47 catches on the season. The defense has been terrific this year, giving up a measly 12.2 points per game and just 258 total yards per game. Many times this year the Buckeyes have relied on the defense and their great defensive line, and most of the time they have done their job beautifully.

The Michigan Wolverines started the season well and were actually ranked in the top 25, but they have since fallen on hard times and have lost 6 of their last 7 games. Tate Forcier is proving to be a very nice addition at quarterback. The freshman has proven adept at running the football when needed and is progressing nicely as a passer. The running game at Michigan has been pretty good, averaging 195 yards per game and making the offense perfectly balanced. The offense is clearly much improved from a year ago. The defense is where the real problems are for Michigan. In the last 3 games the defense is giving up an average of 40 points per game and 488 total yards. If the Wolverines are to stay in this game they will need the defense to step up in a big way.

The college football betting lines for this weekend show Ohio State as a 12 point favorite even though the game is being played in Ann Arbor. The posted total is set at 47 points. Those of you making football predictions for this game will want to know that the Buckeyes are 20-6 against the spread in their last 26 road games and they are 4-1 against the spread in their last 5 games at Michigan.

Ohio State will likely continue their conservative play calling, so it will be up to Michigan to prove they can stop the run. If Ohio State runs with ease, this game could get ugly fast. If Michigan makes Pryor air it out often, the game could go down to the wire. Expect the Ohio State defensive line to give Michigan fits in this one. I think the Buckeyes win this one, but predicting these rivalry games isn't easy at all!

Last weekend I went 6-1 on college football picks. This weekend I have a full slate of games covered, with two picks for Friday night and 6 more for Saturday's games. Saturday's card includes a trio of 5 star top play picks. Check out all the premium packages available, and remember all of those packages are guaranteed.

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