Michigan has defeated Ohio State three straight years in college football’s greatest rivalry game, culminating in the Wolverines’ national championship run last season, but with major changes at the school up north, the Buckeyes feel this is their year to turn it around.
And looking at the latest odds on the Las Vegas sports books, it appears the experts think Ohio State will take down their rivals, and pretty comfortably, in fact.
Ohio State is listed as a 9.5 point favorite against Michigan in the 2024 edition of The Game, according to the lines at FanDuel Sportsbook. That includes an over/under projection of 47.5 points.
Taking the FanDuel numbers into account, that leaves an implied score of 28.5 to 19, or 29 to 19 if we round up, in favor of the Buckeyes, which would enough to cover the 9.5 point spread and to go over on the point total.
Both teams will look very different this season, one because of personnel losses and the other thanks to some notable gains, especially via the transfer portal.
Defending national champion Michigan is undergoing a huge makeover this season, replacing head coach Jim Harbaugh with Sherrone Moore, both coordnators, its starting quarterback, and most of its offensive line and wide receiver rotation.
Key returners include tailback Donovan Edwards, cornerback Will Johnson, and defensive linemen Mason Graham and Kenneth Grant.
Ohio State retains defensive contributors on the edge like Jack Sawyer and J.T. Tuimoloau, running back TreVeyon Henderson, and wide receiver Emeka Egbuka, among others.
And the Buckeyes cleaned up in the transfer portal, adding ex-Alabama five-star safety Caleb Downs to the secondary, veteran quarterback Will Howard under center, and two-time SEC rushing champ Quinshon Judkins, who came over from Ole Miss to share the backfield with Henderson.
Ohio State currently sits second nationally at +440 to win the national championship, while Michigan is 10th with +2500 odds to repeat as champs, according to FanDuel.
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