It's officially rivalry week.
Ohio State and Michigan are set to face off in their annual end-of-the-year showdown. This season's game is in Columbus, and it is the biggest meeting between these two storied programs in a decade.
The Wolverines control their own destiny in the Big Ten picture. A win over the Buckeyes and Michigan goes to Indianapolis to play for the Big Ten championship. Ohio State does not control its own destiny. To get to Indianapolis, the Buckeyes need to win Saturday against the Wolverines and also need Michigan State to upset Penn State.
Ohio State can still very much get into the College Football Playoff, however, even if it doesn't get the chance to play for the Big Ten title. Michigan, on the other hand, needs to find a way to win the conference.
Stock Up/Stock Down is going to be a little different this week — as it should be. We're going to strictly focus on Ohio State and Michigan and what is trending both the right — and wrong — direction heading into Saturday's showdown.
So, without any further delay, let's get started.
Stock Up
Mike Weber — Ohio State running back
Things were a little shaky early on for Weber in Saturday's 17-16 win over Michigan State as the redshirt freshman fumbled when Ohio State had the ball inside the red zone.
But Weber responded nicely, and his 4-yard touchdown run in the third quarter wound up being the game-winner against the Spartans. Weber also had a 52-yard run on that drive to help set up the score. The Detroit native is now over 1,000 yards for the season — Weber has 1,046 rushing yards — as he became just the third freshman in Ohio State history to ever reach that mark.
The Buckeyes are going to lean heavily on Weber, the Michigan native, in Saturday's matchup against the Wolverines.
De'Veon Smith — Michigan running back
Speaking of running backs, the Wolverines' starter had himself quite a game in Michigan's 20-10 win over Indiana on Saturday. Smith carried the ball 23 times for 158 yards and two touchdowns against the Hoosiers.
The Wolverines use four different ball carriers in Smith, Chris Evans, Ty Isaac and Jabrill Peppers, but Smith is the bell cow for Michigan and he's going to be a handful for Ohio State to slow down with the way he's running right now.
Ohio State, Michigan Secondaries
We wrote about this earlier Tuesday — how difficult it's going to be to throw the ball thanks in part to the level of play at cornerback. But it really is going to be a key in this game because both secondaries are playing at a high level right now.
Expect to see corners move inside some to cover the opposing team's best weapon ie. Gareon Conley in the slot on third downs or matched up with Jabrill Peppers and Jourdan Lewis moving around with Curtis Samuel.
The passing windows are going to be a little tighter Saturday.
Stock Down
Ohio State's big-play defense
The Buckeyes did a really good job containing Michigan State on Saturday with a few exceptions, but those few exceptions are what almost cost them the game. Ohio State's defense must do a better job of eliminating explosive plays.
Spartans running back L.J. Scott had a 64-yard touchdown catch and another 61-yard run. The Buckeyes' defense is best when it's making teams sustain long drives. If Michigan has the same success against Ohio State with the big play, the Buckeyes could be in trouble.
John O'Korn — Michigan quarterback
If Michigan is indeed without starting quarterback Wilton Speight for the remainder of the season, the Wolverines are going to need a better performance from O'Korn in order to beat Ohio State.
In Saturday's win over Indiana, O'Korn completed just 7-of-16 passes for 59 yards. He made some plays down the stretch, but it was far from an impressive performance for Michigan's new quarterback.
Ohio State's passing game
The weather was a real factor Saturday in East Lansing — and throughout the state of Michigan. You saw the snow in Kalamazoo for College GameDay and the snowstorm that started in the second half of the Michigan–Indiana game. It was unpleasant all the way around.
That certainly had some impact on O'Korn's debut for the Wolverines and it also impacted J.T. Barrett and the Ohio State passing attack against Michigan State. But despite the conditions, the Buckeyes — like the Wolverines — must be better through the air to win Saturday.
Barrett was just 10-for-22 passing for 86 yards and a touchdown against the Spartans. Urban Meyer said after the game Ohio State will need to be more balanced against Michigan to come away with a win.
