At the beginning of the college football season, Michigan found itself ranked among the top 15 teams but also as 10-point underdogs to Ohio State several weeks out from The Game. Shortly into the schedule, the Wolverines became 17.5-point underdogs following their loss to Texas in early September. Now, nearly a full regular season and no NOA response later, the Wolverines sit barely within bowl eligibility on the doorstep of a .500 record and see themselves as three-touchdown underdogs to the Buckeyes ahead of next weekend.
After floating out to as wide as 23.5-point favorites at FanDuel last week, that sportsbook in particular has since adjusted its spread to favor the Buckeyes by 20.5 points less than a week out from The Game. DraftKings has held steady at 22 points for several days, while BetRivers still had OSU's spread installed at 23.5 points as of Saturday evening.
The current FanDuel spread of 20.5 points would tie for second-largest in the recent history of the rivalry spanning back to the 1985 season. The only meeting between the teams exceeding such a line during that stretch would be the 2014 installment that saw Ohio State fail to cover in a 42-28 victory largely remembered as the day Cardale Jones took over for J.T. Barrett in injury relief on the school's way to a national title. The next closest result was the 2008 edition of The Game that featured the Buckeyes covering a 20.5-point spread in a 42-7 domination during Rich Rodriguez's first season as Michigan's head coach.
Meanwhile, the projected point total for the latest meeting has held much steadier than the spread since its open. Originally slated at 45 points, most books still have the total at 44.5 as of Saturday evening. The Game has hit 10 overs in a row since the 2013 season, with the under not taking shape since the schools combined for 47 points in 2012 when Ohio State emerged victorious by a final score of 26-21 in Urban Meyer's undefeated first year as head coach.
Multiple key players for Michigan currently find themselves questionable at best for The Game next weekend, which could further affect line movement in the days counting down to kickoff. Pete Thamel reported during ESPN College GameDay in Columbus this weekend that cornerback Will Johnson is not expected to play, and tight end Colston Loveland did not return for the Wolverines' second half against Northwestern due to what head coach Sherrone Moore described as "working through something."
Big Noon Kickoff will return to Columbus for a second straight Saturday to broadcast the 120th playing of The Game next weekend on FOX.
