Michigan State Spartans vs Ohio State Buckasses
September 28, 2024. 7:30 pm. Peacock TV.
Weather: 65 and cloudy. Maybe some misty rain thanks to Helene remnants.
Line Outta Vegas: Ohio State by 23-1/2
Sagarin Ratings: Buckass #4, Spartans #67
This is what BuckNut deserves, a gut blow. Unfortunately, we're not #9. 2015.
Or this, $atan beating #1 Buckass in the HorseShoe. 1999.
Levi Jackson running 88 yards to beat #1 Ohio State in East Lansing. 1974.
We beat Ohio State about every 10-15 years. Is this the year?
It actually sucks writing this preview. First off, LOTS of complaints about this game on Peacock. I agree with you people. It is demonstrative of the changing times with streaming from antenna to cable to satellite to streaming. And it is costing ALL of us billions to fatten the wallets of the rich folk, in many ways I cannot count. But, while it is expensive for the providers, they really could give a crap about their consumers who are football-hungry. It's too bad, but it is reality. More content = more costs = more money. You want your football today, you've gotta pay for it. But, certainly worthy of Congressional investigation. That's another post.
Ohio State has absolutely throttled Michigan State at home the last several times I attended. I left at halftime. Half the stadium will be filled with Buckeye fans, who are complete a$$holes and abonoxioius as if Ohio State deserves to be in the NFL. I've encountered this many times in my life at MSU-OSU games, especially when MSU beat Ohio State in the Big Ten Title game to go to the Rose Bowl back in 2014. About 90% of the OSU fans I encountered in stadiums are rude, mean, and in-your face. That includes Buck-Nut. Not impressed with the F*uckeye fan base. No wonder why Kirk Herbstreit left Columbus to move to Cincinnati - even that Buckeye QB alum couldn't stand it anymore.
I think the Michigan State defense is pretty good, and might be able to hold up for a while, especially in the rain. Like the interior D, like the pressure and great play by LBs. The problem is the offense, and Aidan Chiles. He's a turnover machine and makes very bad throws under pressure; which may very well be today against the Buckeyes. The dude needs to learn how to take a sack and throw the ball away for another play. He has wheels, and may likely burn the Buckeyes a few times with his wheels... if he survives.
MSU, at this time under Jonathan Smith, is just a year or two away from moving up to the top half of the league. With the Spartans' laundry list of injuries (will this ever change? MSU is always more injury-bitten than most early in the season, leading to question marks about the level of talent brought to East Lansing), it is hard to identify where MSU wins, unless the defense creates massive turnovers, Jonathan Kim kicks 6 field goals, and the punting game puts the Buckeeys in long drives that lead to... turnovers. That's a tall ask.
Prognostications:
ES sez: Ohio State 35, MSU 16.
