Make Your Pick: Michigan vs. Ohio State

This is it. THE GAME. And this year's edition is as big as its ever been for a lot of reasons.

It'll be No. 2 Ohio State vs. No. 3 Michigan in Ann Arbor for the Big Ten East championship, a spot in the Big Ten title game and likely a College Football Playoff berth. None of that is necessarily new, but Michigan attempting to accomplish it all without head coach Jim Harbaugh certainly is. That adds a very interesting element to The Game and should make for quite the discussion come Saturday. Without Harbaugh, it's hard to say exactly how things will look, but we'll do our best to come up with an accurate prediction.

Chris Breiler

No. 3 Michigan and No. 2 Ohio State will enter Saturday's matchup in Ann Arbor ranked within the Top-Five for the 13th time in rivalry history.

It's hard to overstate just how critical a win would be for both programs. The winner goes on to Indy to play for a Big Ten Championship and will likely be one of the final four teams in the playoff, while the loser will watch the conference championship from home and likely be out of the playoff altogether.

Ohio State will put up a fight, but the Wolverines are a team on a mission. They'll not only look to win their final home game for the 40-plus seniors on the roster, they'll also be looking to win it for head coach Jim Harbaugh as he serves the third of his three-game suspension from the Big Ten.

Michigan 27, Ohio State 17

Brandon Brown

This game is just so massive, for both teams. Obviously the rankings, the records and the postseason berths are all on the line, but the narrative for each program is on the line as well. For Ryan Day, a loss would be his third to Michigan in a row, which honestly may result in him looking for a new job next year. For Michigan, a loss, albeit without Jim Harbaugh, would in some ways prove what everyone outside of Ann Arbor is thinking — that Michigan can't win without cheating. 

Michigan has the better quarterback, is at home and certainly has the motivation to want a win in the worst way. Ohio State has the best overall player in Marvin Harrison Jr., and acting head coach actually on the sidelines and plenty of its own motivation after getting drilled the last two years. 

When the dust settles, I think it'll be Michigan, because they're the more physical team, they are fired up in a way that Ohio State just is not and because they want to make another movie inside Michigan Stadium as guys like Blake Corum, Kris Jenkins, Zak Zinter, Trevor Keegan, Mike Sainristil and potentially JJ McCarthy take the field for the last time.

Michigan 31, Ohio State 21

Trent Knoop

Everyone knows what's at stake on Saturday. The winner heads to Indy for a chance at a Big Ten title and a seat in the CFP. The loser will be sitting on its seat during conference championship weekend needing some major help. To me, this game comes down to two areas: quarterback play and red zone play. J.J. McCarthy is the better QB, but he's been banged up and Kyle McCord has Marvin Harrison. However, if McCarthy is remotely close to healthy, J.J. should win that battle.

Michigan is the best red zone defense that only allowed six touchdowns inside the 20 all season. The Buckeyes are so-so offensively in the red zone, but have a fantastic red zone defense as well. Which team will become more clever inside the 20?

I can honestly see either team winning, but this game is in Ann Arbor and these veterans know what's at stake. Give me Michigan in a tight one.

Michigan 24, Ohio State 20