How to Watch Michigan Football vs Ohio State, other top games of rivalry week

SB Nation

The pinnacle of sports is upon us. The greatest rivalry that has ever been known. The Michigan Wolverines are set to host the Ohio State Buckeyes on Saturday in an attempt to win their fifth straight in this

game.

There’s a lot riding on this one. With a win, Michigan could secure a spot in the College Football Playoff and potentially the Big Ten Championship. Ohio State plays for the same conference-wise, but is also gunning for the No. 1 overall seed in the CFP.

Both teams playing their best football, both with meaningful outcomes with a win — it’s about all you can ask for in late November. Here’s everything you need to know leading into kickoff.

No. 15 Michigan Wolverines vs No. 1 Ohio State Buckeyes

Day: Saturday, Nov. 29 2025
TV: FOX
Time: 12:14 p.m. ET
Location: Ann Arbor, MI
Weather: 31 degrees, cloudy
Odds: OSU -10, O/U: 45.5

Sherrone Moore has yet to lose this game as a head coach of the Michigan Wolverines. The philosophy — run the ball, control the clock, limit Ohio State possessions, take care of the ball, and strike the finishing blow.

That’s what happened last season with a vastly outmanned team at The Shoe. The Wolverines had the ball for 33.5 minutes with drives of nine minutes and five minutes in the fourth quarter. Ohio State had the ball for less than two minutes and had only 10 yards of offense in the final frame last year.

When you look at all the firepower Ohio State has this year when healthy — Julian Sayin, Jeremiah Smith, Carnell Tate, Brandon Inniss, Max Klare, Bo Jackson and others — you have to limit their opportunities and make them sit on that cold bench with pressure building. The Wolverines likely lose this game quickly if they give up an lead early, give up a bunch of chunk plays and get into a shootout.

Ohio State had the opportunities last year, but it was a disaster class coaching performance from Ryan Day. For the last several years, he and his teams were considered soft. After taking shots at Lou Holtz after beating Notre Dame, you can tell the media and narratives get to his head. That’s why he was adamant about running the ball and showing how tough his team really was. Clearly, it backfired with only 77 rushing yards on 26 attempts last season. By the time he realized it wasn’t working against a great Michigan defensive line, it was too late.

The good news is Michigan has been winning ugly for most of the season. The defense has a knack for forcing turnovers, the offense has made plays when it matters, and overall, the team is playing its best football of the season. That narrative of Ohio State being soft still exists, even after winning a national championship last year. If Day falls into the same trap again, things could get really interesting.

A lot falls on the hands of Bryce Underwood and the offense. The last two weeks have been really encouraging for Chip Lindsey, finding the best ways to get Underwood and Andrew Marsh connected. But more notable is the improvement from the offensive line, as they have paved the way for Jordan Marshall and company time after time ever since the loss at USC.

In my eyes, it really comes down to how the Buckeyes attack Michigan’s defense. If they air it out to their star receivers, I find it hard to believe the Wolverines have the firepower to keep up. But if Wink Martindale and the defense can make this game ugly, force a turnover or two and allow the offense more time with the ball, this game gets interesting really quickly.

Two weeks ago, the spread on this game was 13.5 in favor of Ohio State. When the line opened this week, it was down to 11.5. As of now, it’s hovering around 10. There’s significant early money coming in for the Wolverines. While that’s really interesting, I’m going to avoid a spread that wide and think more of the game flow. The total at 45.5 seems quite low given the way Ohio State plays. Even Michigan has surpassed that number over the last few weeks. I’m going to expect this one to be a little more high scoring and take the over.

The play: 045.5 (-110)

Season Total: 26-28 (-2.37 units)

FRIDAY – 3:30 p.m. ET (ABC) – No. 4 Georgia Bulldogs vs No. 16 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets