Prizing:

1st Place: $50 Amazon gift card

2nd-5th Place: $10 Starbucks gift card

Top 10 Winners:

1. bringontherain***@yahoo.com (500 points)
2. Mark Wireman (500 points)
3. shamrockd***@aol.com (500 points)
4. waikar***@yahoo.com (500 points)
5. bitman***@outlook.com (367 points)
6. dmantank***@aol.com (367 points)
7. josh.hudso***@yahoo.com (367 points)
8. Monica Musgrave (367 points)
9. Travis Harrison (367 points)
10. Adam Ullery (358 points)

Overview:

On Saturday, November 26th, at 12:00 P.M. the Michigan Wolverines will be on the road to take on the Ohio State Buckeyes.

Mark May:

Mark is predicting a final score of Ohio State 17 – Michigan 13.

The Crowd:

“The Crowd” projects a final score of Ohio State 29.5 – Michigan 26.2 with an over/under of 55.7.  The Vegas Line has a final score of Ohio State 27.5 – Michigan 21.0 with an over/under of 48.5.

2016-17 Statistics (127 total teams):

Passing offense: Ohio State 230.0 YPG > Michigan 215.8 YPG

Rushing offense: Ohio State 263.1 YPG > Michigan 235.3 YPG

Scoring offense: Ohio State 43.8 PPG > Michigan 42.3 PPG

Scoring defense: Michigan 10.9 PPG > Ohio State 13.0 PPG

Passing defense: Michigan 137.0 YPG > Ohio State 159.5 YPG

Rushing defense: Michigan 108.6 YPG > Ohio State 120.3 YPG

Turnover Margin Per Game: Ohio State +1.3 > Michigan +0.7

Strength of schedule:

Ohio State is (10-1) with wins over Michigan State, Nebraska, Maryland, Bowling Green, Tulsa, Oklahoma, Rutgers, Indiana, Wisconsin, and Northwestern.  Their only loss came at the road against Penn State.  Michigan is (10-1) with wins over Hawaii, UCF, Colorado, Penn State, Wisconsin, Rutgers, Illinois, Michigan State, Maryland, and Indiana.  Their lone defeat came on the road against Iowa.

Summary:

These teams are so evenly matched that it’s no wonder “The Crowd” has the two teams separated by less than a point.  Both teams rank in the top 12 offensively and defensively.  Michigan enters the game with the number one defense in the country but they will have their hands full trying to stop all of the playmakers on the Buckeyes offense.  Michigan will likely be without starting quarterback Wilton Speight who suffered a chest injury in the loss to Iowa.  Even if Speight does somehow suit up his durability will be a concern.

Backup quarterback John O’Korn was able to successfully manage the offense in the win over Indiana.  He will have to play much better this week if they want to beat the Buckeyes on the road.  Ohio State has done a better job in regards to ball security which could play a crucial role in the outcome of this game.  If Speight were fully healthy it might be a different story but I’m picking the Buckeyes to win a low scoring game in Columbus.

**LISTEN HERE** to the latest edition of “The Berger Shop” podcast, sponsored by The Crowd’s Line.  This week’s episode features an in-depth discussion with Frank Isola of New York Daily News.

Note:

To be eligible to enter a Crowd’s Line contest you must be over 18 years of age, a resident of the United States/Canada, and submit your score prediction on our prediction tool (blog widget). The winner will be selected according to The Crowd’s Line scoring methodology.  If more than one entrant has the same winning score the winner will be selected by random drawing.  Only one prize will be awarded per contest and that winner will receive their prize in 5-7 business days