Here’s What We Think The Playoff Rankings Will Look Like On Tuesday

Teacher vs. pupil. Dear friends and fierce competitors, their legacies are linked.

The two 10-1 teams, tied with Penn State for the top spot in the Big Ten East Division at 7-1, are chasing spots in the College Football Playoff and the Big Ten title game. Senior center Pat Elflein was named a finalist for the Outland Trophy, awarded to the nation’s most outstanding interior lineman, while Cameron Johnston was picked as one of three finalists for the Ray Guy Award, given to the top punter in college football. With three national championships on his resume, he is 4-0 against MI since taking over at Ohio State.

However, Harbaugh has not ruled out the possibility of quarterback Wilton Speight returning against the Buckeyes.

It might not seem like there is a lot to be thankful for this season in regards to Michigan State football, but that’s not entirely true.

Or, what would happen at halftime when the game plan has gone to hell because, well, it’s Ohio State – Michigan?

Schembechler was an assistant to Hayes at Ohio State for five years before eventually taking over at MI.

Several players were suspended during the 2014 season as a result of a school investigation, and that should have been enough. MI won five, Ohio State four and there was one tie.

They were gruff and uncompromising. Ohio State and MI face off in what is likely the most important football game of the season, as it carries massive implications for each team, and for several other schools in the Big Ten. And they loved each other like family, though competition took precedent during the fall.

This may very well be Samuel’s final game in Ohio Stadium, if the junior decides to head to the National Football League after this season.

The Game is set up to be a gem.

He could be the flawless spy on Barrett, who is one of the smartest and most effective running quarterbacks in the country (722 yards rushing and eight touchdowns).

Growing up in Ashtabula, Ohio, the northeast part of the state, Meyer and his family were unabashed Buckeyes fans. “I guarantee we’ll beat Ohio State this Saturday and we’ll be in Pasadena on January 1”, he said back then.

Like every rivalry, this one has seen some lean years, as in when MI dominated from the mid-1980s until the mid-1990s, and now Ohio State, which has lost to MI only three times in this century.

“I think (Peppers) does a great job of that”, Burger said. Montae Nicholson has also become a star and Darian Hicks was much more solid than people gave him credit for. “Against a defense like this, you’ll need every one of them playing their best”. “So that’s my memory, and that’s how we go about our business here”. MI possessed an outstanding defense and the offensive wizardry of coach Jim Harbaugh.

Jim Harbaugh won’t mess around here, trusting the rest of his secondary to handle Noah Brown, K.J.

“He is one of Bo’s boys”, Madej said. I think we’re No. 1 in the Big Ten (in total offense at 493.1 yards per game and in scoring at 43.8 points).

All season we’ve been looking for markers of progress from Ohio State’s offensive line, and some things started to show in wins over Northwestern, Nebraska and Maryland.

Ohio State will host MI in “The Game”. This year, OSU has allowed its quarterbacks to be dropped in the backfield 17 times through 11 games. “Getting ready for the actual game”. That’s how close they are to perfection.

MI head coach Jim Harbaugh looks up at the scoreboard from the sideline in the second quarter of an NCAA college football game against in in Ann Arbor, Mich., Saturday, Nov. 19, 2016.

McMillan is the quarterback of Ohio State’s defense and its leading tackles (71).

Series record: MI leads 58-47-6. Really, it’s just a testament to his athletic ability. In fact, the Badgers could be a top-4 (and thus playoff team) when the subsequent rankings are released next Tuesday.

Barrett, despite what Peppers says, can read a defense and can make good decisions. His passing is best described as inconsistent, and it needs to be better on Saturday against the best defense Ohio State will have seen all season. The Wolverines has outgained their opponents by 205.4 yards per game. There’s tons of talent, but not much overall production outside of Curtis Samuel. If the Buckeyes can pull him away, that’s a double win for OSU. Weber has over 1,000 yards as a freshman, which has only been done by Robert Smith and Maurice Clarett. He touched the ball only eight times last week against Michigan State, but caught Barrett’s only TD pass.

Saturday’s matchup is quite different from last year’s, when the host Spartans rolled to a 55-16 victory to clinch the Big Ten East.

A MI loss and a Penn State win would get the Lions to Indianapolis for a shot at the conference title.

Head Coach Urban Meyer is a recent pillar of the storied rivalry.

The status of starter Wilton Speight (left, non-throwing shoulder) is again uncertain so figure another game where MI will be limited in the passing game.

Q: How does the committee quantify the difference between Ohio State and Penn State?