Ohio State Buckeyes vs. Michigan State Spartans

No. 12 Oklahoma (9-1) plays No. 5 Oklahoma State (10-0) in Stillwater on the Saturday after Thanksgiving. Despite its ugly, last-minute loss to Nebraska, Michigan State would win the Big Ten East if it beats Ohio State and Penn State. “Last year we did not win at the line of scrimmage”.

No other team on Ohio State’s schedule was in the top 25 of the playoff rankings. It will have to do better than those numbers against Michigan State and Michigan.

The Illinois Fighting Illini came into Saturday’s game against the #3 Buckeyes of Ohio State looking to upset the 2015 College Football Playoff champions. Ohio State took over the ball on Illinois’ 10-yard line and scored a touchdown off Elliott on the first play. “We have to rise up to the challenge”.

Whether Cook’s healthy enough to perform like the national superstar he is remains to be seen, but it’s the safest of assumptions we’ll see that question answered on the field rather than in the Spartans’ training room. “I do think our guys get motivated for it, and this is another challenge, but I also think our guys respect who they’re playing against, every single time”. The Buckeyes have rarely been threatened by mostly so-so opposition on their way to 10-0, but they have also rarely looked like the juggernaut many expected this season.

“They’re a very good team”. This is not a ideal team. “We’ve got to get there fast, when you start playing teams like this and a talented team like this”. “So it just tells you, I guess we’ve got to get on a roll”. But as running backs Ke’Shawn Vaughn (concussion) and Josh Ferguson (undisclosed injury) fell by the wayside, Ohio State’s rugged defense tightened its grip. “We’re not there right now”. Wes Lunt and the Illini are coming off a win over Purdue by a 48-14 final score.

A win over Ohio State would give the Spartans the crucial tiebreaker over both MI and Ohio State.

Cook’s replacement Tyler O’Connor was 6 of 11 in passing for 44 yards and a touchdown.

Advance scouting: Asked whether MSU players have been sneaking in some Ohio State film study over the past few months amid their weekly work, senior defensive end Shilique Calhoun confirmed it. Sort of. “J.T. Barrett was ridiculous”. They have some similarities and they have some differences. “We set up a buffer zone, so there won’t be any large vehicles entering into that buffer zone larger than the size of a van”, Stone said. If Iowa or Michigan State is dropped from one of those bowls, they could take Michigan’s spot in the Citrus Bowl and bump Michigan down to the Outback Bowl.

“He had nearly a 70 percent completion rate, but we misfired on three in a row, which is very bad”, Meyer offered.

“My shoulder is good”, Cook said, “I’m going to be ready to go so there is no issue with that”. I faced the consequences and that’s going to be a long-term thing I’m going to deal with.

The key offensive play in the game came late in the 2nd quarter.

“We haven’t really been tested”, Ohio State left tackle Taylor Decker said.

A complete explanation of the policy and a list of approved and banned items can be found at http://www.ohiostatebuckeyes.com/gameday/.

Just to stack the chips on the Spartans, Urban Meyer’s squad has the home-field advantage.