How to bet 'The Game': Breaking down all the angles of Ohio State-Michigan - ESPN

No. 1 Ohio State heads into Ann Arbor at 11-0 with everything in front of them: a Big Ten title spot, playoff seeding and even QB Julian Sayin's Heisman hopes hanging in the balance.

No. 18 Michigan has won four straight and would love nothing more than to play spoiler on a perfect season.

The real hook in this matchup is less Buckeyes versus Wolverines, and more Buckeyes versus the limits of what Michigan can actually dictate.

All odds by ESPN BET

No. 1 Ohio State at No. 18 Michigan
Saturday, 12 p.m. ET, FOX

Line: OSU; -9.5
Money line: Ohio State (-425), Michigan (+320)
Over/Under: 44.5 (O -105, U -115)

Michigan has one thing going for it: the run game is real. Jordan Marshall and Justice Haynes have combined for over 1,600 yards and 6.5 yards per carry, the line is physical enough and when the game sits on script, they can move bodies. Problem is: Haynes is doubtful. It was already a run game that can be neutralized. Even more now. We've already seen it. Oklahoma compressed the Wolverines, and USC hit gaps with speed. When Michigan loses the leverage battle early, the entire playbook shrinks. Michigan's run game can't create explosives on its own because it relies on the larger ecosystem working.

Defensively, Michigan is good, but it's not special. It doesn't have that overwhelming unit that suffocates teams on every down. The Wolverines pressure quarterbacks, but it's more about volume pressure than value. They hit, force QBs to hurry, but don't consistently convert those pressures into game-breaking moments. Their coverage is the softest part of the structure, and the wrong opponent, one with real passing efficiency, can stress them until something breaks (as witnessed vs. USC, when the Wolverines gave up 8.3 yards