The seventh-ranked Michigan State Spartans will travel to Ohio Stadium on Saturday afternoon to take on the fourth-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes in a Big Ten Conference matchup.
The Spartans are 9-1 (6-1) this year and are coming off a 40-21 home win over the Maryland Terrapins. Sophomore quarterback Payton Thorne went 22-of-30 for 287 yards with four touchdowns and an interception.
The Buckeyes are 9-1 (7-0) so far and are riding an eight-game winning streak after defeating the 19th-ranked Purdue Boilermakers 59-31 at home. Freshman quarterback C.J. Stroud finished 31-of-38 for 361 yards with five touchdowns.
Michigan State at Ohio State Betting Preview
Walker Dominating This Season
Junior running back Kenneth Walker III has been incredible this season for the Spartans as he has 227 rushing attempts for 1,473 yards (6.5 yards per carry) with 17 rushing touchdowns as well as 12 catches for 85 yards (7.1 yards per reception) with a receiving touchdown.
In his last game against the Terrapins, he had 30 carries for 143 yards (4.8 yards per rush) with two rushing touchdowns and a pair of receptions for 29 yards (14.5 yards per catch).
The Michigan State Spartans have been a great defensive team as they are giving up 22.5 points per game this season. In their previous game against the Maryland Terrapins, the Spartans allowed 21 points on 447 total yards of offense (350 passing, 97 rushing).
The Spartans did a good job of getting their defense off the field as the Terrapins went 3-of-13 on third down and 2-of-5 on fourth down. Michigan State needs to improve against the run as Maryland rushed for 3.9 yards per attempt.
Young Blood Stepping Up
Freshman running back TreVeyon Henderson has been great as well this year as he has 141 runs for 1,035 yards (7.3 yards per attempt) with 14 rushing touchdowns as well as 16 receptions for 223 yards (13.9 yards per catch) with three receiving touchdowns.
In his last game against the Boilermakers, he had 13 rushes for 98 yards (7.5 yards per attempt) with two rushing touchdowns and a four-yard reception.
The Ohio State Buckeyes have been a solid defensive program this year as they are allowing 20.2 points per game. In their previous game against the Purdue Boilermakers, the Buckeyes gave up 31 points on 48 total yards of offense (390 passing, 91 rushing).
Ohio State needs to get their defense improving as they allowed Purdue to go 5-of-10 on third downs and 1-of-2 on fourth down. The Buckeyes were able to force a pair of turnovers (both fumble recoveries), so that is a good sign.
Who to Bet
The top sportsbooks are listing this around a three-possession difference between the Spartans and Buckeyes in this game, and that feels a little too high for me.
The Spartans are 7-1-2 against the spread this season, while the Buckeyes are 5-4-1 against the spread. Ohio State is dealing with a lot more injuries on their side, so they can be a little bit of an easier target here than earlier this season.
Michigan State is scoring 35.3 points per game in their last three games, while Ohio State is averaging 39.3 points per game in that same stretch of games.
All in all, go with the Ohio State Buckeyes to win on the moneyline, but the Michigan State Spartans to cover too big of a spread on the road.