Five Reasons Why Michigan Will Beat Ohio State

Michigan is looking to make it three in a row against the Buckeyes and there are several things working in U-M's favor.

Michigan vs. Ohio State.

#2 vs. #3.

11-0 vs. 11-0. 

A Big Ten East title on the line.

A chance to win a Big Ten Championship.

A ticket to the College Football Playoff.

THE GAME.

Every single narrative you need for Saturday's matchup to be absolutely huge is present. Throw in a suspended Jim Harbaugh, a swirling scandal and every college football pregame show in existence being on hand and Ann Arbor is the center of the college football world this Saturday. Fortunately, with all eyes on the Wolverines and Buckeyes, Michigan is favored and for several solid reasons.

1. Michigan has the better QB: JJ McCarthy vs. Kyle McCord

I don't care what the stats look like, everyone in the country, including Ryan Day and his staff, would take McCarthy over McCord. Sure, JJ has been a bit off over the past couple of weeks, and he might not be 100% healthy, but he's got the edge on McCord in just about every way. He's a better athlete making him much better at throwing the ball when he doesn't have a clean pocket or is on the move, he's got a more live arm, which allows him to make every throw with great timing and pace and he's more of a playmaker, which can be a huge factor in big games. He's also much better under pressure, which could prove huge in this game. Throw in the fact that he's elite when it comes to his mental preparation and approach and he's just a better QB. It also doesn't hurt that he's 2-0 against the Buckeyes.

2. Michigan has the better offensive line

Michigan has won the Joe Moore Award for the nation's best offensive line two years in a row and is among the 12 semifinalists this year. Ohio State, is not. The Wolverines are objectively better up front with stalwart guards in Trevor Keegan and Zak Zinter. Center Drake Nugent is highly intelligent, nasty and an quite powerful despite being a little undersized. The tackle spots are a bit fluid right now as the Wolverines are trying to get healthy, but LaDarius Henderson is expected to be back at left tackle this week, allowing Karsen Barnhart to return to the right side. If the line is intact, and tight ends AJ Barner, Max Bredeson and Colston Loveland are utilized as chippers a bit more often, Michigan should be able to run the ball effectively. Maybe not quite as dominantly as they did in 2021 or 2022, but effective enough to control the game and get a win, a la Penn State.

3. The Game is in Ann Arbor

Obviously in college, big games are what the sport is all about and whoever is at home usually has the edge in a close matchup. The Wolverines went on the road last year and destroyed Ohio State in Columbus, so it's not always an advantage, but Michigan is viewed as the better, more complete team this year and gets to host the Bucks. That's noteworthy, especially with Jim Harbaugh not being there. There will be more than 110,000 people in The Big House, almost all screaming for the Wolverines, and that's a big deal. If Michigan can play mistake-free football, the crowd will be a factor. If they can get out to an early lead, it's going to be trouble for OSU all day long.

4. Extra motivation

This one goes without saying. Jim Harbaugh will be absent for the third game in a row and the players and coaches want to win the biggest game of the year for their head coach. The players have been hearing the outside noise for about a month now and they're ready to shut everyone up. They've already done it in some ways — beating Michigan State 49-0 in East Lansing, beating Penn State in Happy Valley without Harbaugh and holding off a feisty Maryland team last week — but so many people have moved the goalposts and won't accept that Michigan is just a damn good football team until they beat OSU this weekend. Throw in the Big Ten title and College Football Playoff implications and this experienced, talented and pissed off Michigan team has all the bulletin board material necessary to win a huge game.

5. Confidence

Finally, and perhaps most importantly, Michigan will win because of their confidence. Some of the most important players in this game — JJ McCarthy, Donovan Edwards, Will Johnson, Junior Colson, Kenneth Grant, Mason Graham, Rod Moore and more — only know beating Ohio State. Not only do they know beating Ohio State, they know kicking their ass by 22 in Columbus last year. In fact, that's almost the entire team. That makes for an incredibly confident bunch playing at home. Sure, Harbaugh won't be there, but this same team just went into Happy Valley and got a win without their head coach. JJ, Blake Corum, Dono, KG, Rod Moore, Mason Graham, Kris Jenkins, Will Johnson, Makari Paige, Braiden McGregor, Jaylen Harrell and most of the linemen KNOW that they can beat Ohio State. That's powerful.