Ohio State Faces Brutal Reality If It Loses to Michigan O...

By Robert Marvi

Contributing Sports Writer

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The Ohio State Buckeyes currently hold an 11-0 record and sit atop the Big Ten standings. They also hold the top spot in the latest AP poll that was released on Sunday, according to ESPN. But they will face a crucial contest on Sunday against none other than the University of Michigan Wolverines that could single-handedly determine how successful this season will turn out for them.

In the Big 10, Ohio State, Michigan, Indiana University (which is also 11-0) and the University of Oregon remain in contention for a spot in the conference championship game, which will be held in Indianapolis on Saturday, Dec. 6. Even though the Buckeyes are currently in first place, according to the tiebreaker scenarios, they don't have much margin for error.

If they defeat the hated Wolverines next Saturday, they will advance to the Big 10 title game. But a loss would mean it would need help from Purdue University and the University of Washington, as they would have to defeat the Hoosiers and Ducks, respectively, for the Buckeyes to gain a spot in the championship game.

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Michigan is currently 9-2 overall and 7-1 within the conference, and on Saturday, it defeated the University of Maryland 45-20. Quarterback Bryce Underwood completed 16 of 23 pass attempts and finished with 215 passing yards, two passing touchdowns and no interceptions, while running back Bryson Kuzdzal scored three rushing touchdowns.

The Buckeyes have gotten 2,832 passing yards and 27 touchdown passes, as well as a 79.4% completion rate from QB Julian Sayin, and on Saturday against Rutgers University, he completed 13 of 19 passing attempts, two of which turned into touchdowns. But for a brief period of time in the first half, Day elected to go with backup Lincoln Keinholz under center instead. Sayin returned a couple of plays later and threw a touchdown pass to Brandon Inniss to give his team a double-digit lead. Ohio State went on to win, 42-9.

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Ohio State hasn't defeated Michigan since Nov. 30, 2019, when it clobbered its biggest rival by a final score of 56-27. Should it take care of business moving forward, it could find itself playing for its second consecutive national championship just weeks from now.

For more on the Ohio State Buckeyes and general NCAA news, head over to Newsweek Sports.

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