Ohio State vs. Michigan: 2025 game preview and prediction

Ohio State vs. Michigan: 2025 game preview and predictionStory byBrett LudwiczakFri, November 28, 2025 at 2:31 PM UTC·15 min read

Bragging rights and a lot more will be on the line on Saturday in Ann Arbor when Ohio State and Michigan clash. The Buckeyes enter this year’s game undefeated and looking to snap a four-game losing streak to the Wolverines. On the other side of the field, Michigan will not only be trying to state their case to be included in the College Football Playoff, but Sherrone Moore’s team also has an outside shot at making next week’s Big Ten Championship Game in Indianapolis.

Before the Buckeyes could turn their attention to the Wolverines, last week, Ohio State secured its 15th straight win, beating Rutgers 42-9 on Senior Day at Ohio Stadium. After a sluggish start saw the Buckeyes took a 14-3 lead into halftime, and Ohio State pulled away in the second half. Not only was Carnell Tate sidelined for the third consecutive game with a calf injury, but also held out of last week’s game against the Scarlet Knights was fellow wide receiver Jeremiah Smith.

AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThe best rivalry in all of sports

As soon as the clock hit zeros in Columbus last Saturday, the full attention of Buckeye Nation turned to Michigan. The Wolverines lead the all-time series 62-51-6 after winning the last four meetings with the Buckeyes. Prior to the recent dominance by Michigan, Ohio State had won eight straight games in the rivalry. Heading into Saturday’s game, the Wolverines hold a 33-24-4 edge in games played in Ann Arbor, while the series is deadlocked at 22-22-4 when both teams are ranked.

This marks the 18th time the Buckeyes are undefeated heading into The Game. More often than not, in years Ohio State has won in years they entered the battle with Michigan undefeated, posting an 11-5-1 record. For the 13th year in a row, the Buckeyes have recorded 11 wins prior to taking on the Wolverines. No matter the records of the two teams entering The Game, it is usually a close battle, with there being 45 one-score games in the series.

Where Ohio State stands on offense entering The Game

Since Carnell Tate and Jeremiah Smith were both unavailable last week, Brian Hartline and Ryan Day kept things pretty simple for Julian Sayin. The Buckeye quarterback only attempted 19 passes against Rutgers, throwing for 157 yards and a touchdown. Despite only missing on six of his pass attempts, Sayin’s completion percentage actually dipped below 80% on the season, sitting at 79.4% entering this week’s game, which still leads the country. The redshirt freshman is still on pace to break Bo Nix’s NCAA record for a season of 77.45%, set in 2023 with Oregon.

AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement

With Sayin without two of his favorite targets, tight end Max Klare saw an uptick in passes thrown his way last week. The Purdue transfer hauled in seven passes for 105 yards, becoming the fourth Ohio State tight end to surpass 100 yards receiving in a game, with Jeff Heuerman being the last to achieve the feat against Purdue in 2013. Klare is third on the team with 38 receptions this season for 400 yards. Jeremiah Smith leads Ohio State with 69 catches for 902 yards and 10 touchdowns, while Carnell Tate has caught 39 passes for 711 yards and found the end zone seven times.

Lately, the rushing attack of the Buckeyes has started to find its footing after a slow start to the season. Bo Jackson led the way against Rutgers, finishing with 110 yards and two rushing touchdowns to earn Big Ten Freshman of the Week honors. Jackson has now rushed for at least 100 yards in the last two games and three of the last four contests. Entering this week’s game, Jackson has rushed for 835 yards this season, putting him within striking distance of becoming the fifth true freshman to rush for at least 1,000 yards in a season for Ohio State.

The Buckeyes would go on to rush for 254 yards and four touchdowns against Rutgers. Not only were the 254 yards rushing their second-highest total of the season, but for the second straight game in a row, Ohio State found the end zone four times on the ground. After C.J. Donaldson Jr. scored the 40th rushing touchdown of his college career early in the fourth quarter, James Peoples capped off the scoring with a 49-yard touchdown run. Peoples now has three rushing touchdowns in the last two games.

AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement

Ohio State’s offensive line has been rock solid all season long. The group has allowed just six sacks through the first 11 games of the season, which ranks third in the country. Along with not letting opponents get to the quarterback, the line has also done a great job at keeping the opposition out of the backfield in general, as the 36 tackles for loss allowed is the fourth-lowest total in the country. What has made the group so tough to crack is that the same five linemen have started 10 of Ohio State’s first 11 games this season.

A legendary defensive season so far

For as good as the Buckeye offense has been this year, the defense has been that much better. Ohio State ranks first in the country in a number of defensive categories. Along with leading college football with just 7.6 points per game allowed, the Buckeyes are giving up just 206.6 yards per game and 126.6 pass yards per game. The rush defense has been stout as well, with the 80 yards per game allowed ranking second in the country. After giving up 147 total yards to Rutgers, the Buckeyes have now allowed less than 300 yards in 10 straight games for the second time since 1960.

Caden Curry made the most of his final home game at Ohio Stadium, registering two sacks and nearly scoring a touchdown after recovering a fumble he forced near Rutgers’ own goal line. Curry now has 13.5 tackles for loss, which is tied for first in the Big Ten, along with ranking third in the conference with nine sacks this season. At the other defensive end spot, Kenyatta Jackson Jr. has 4.5 sacks this year, but none over the last three games. Kayden McDonald has been a force on the interior of the defensive line, registering 47 tackles, eight tackles for loss, three sacks, and forcing two fumbles so far this season.

AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement

It almost feels like Arvell Reese has been coasting over the last three games since the talented linebacker has been very quiet, as he has only been credited with five tackles during that span. The lull in activity from Reese has allowed Sonny Styles to take the team lead in tackles. Styles enters this week with 63 stops, while Reese has 59 tackles. Even though Reese hasn’t been filling the stat sheet lately, expect the future first-round NFL Draft pick to show up on the biggest stage on Saturday. Conditions are perfect for Reese and Styles to assert themselves as two of the top linebacker prospects in the country.

Headlining the Ohio State secondary will be Caleb Downs. The junior safety is up for a number of major awards this year after being named a finalist for the Nagurski, Lott IMPACT, Thorpe, and Bednarik awards. Last week, Downs recorded his first sack of the season, to go along with his five tackles for loss, and two interceptions. Jaylen McClain has been solid throughout the season next to Downs at safety, entering this week’s game with 39 stops on the year.

After missing a couple of games earlier this season, there are questions about the health of Lorenzo Styles Jr. heading into Saturday’s game. If Styles isn’t able to play, expect Jermaine Mathews Jr. to slide over to the nickel position and Devin Sanchez to line up at the cornerback spot opposite Davison Igbinosun. Last week, Igbinosun nearly had his first interception of the season, but it was called back due to a penalty. Igbinosun has still been active throughout the season, breaking up eight passes.

AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementMichigan’s season up to this point

Michigan enters this week’s game riding a five-game winning streak after defeating Maryland 45-20 in College Park last week. Following a 7-6 season in his first year as head coach, Sherrone Moore has the Wolverines eyeing a spot in the College Football Playoff if they can upset Ohio State on Saturday. Unlike Ohio State, which has won all but one of its games by at least 10 points, the Wolverines have had to work in a lot of their victories, as only three of their nine wins have come by 17 points or more.

The Wolverines have turned Michigan Stadium back into a place where it is tough for opponents to win. Dating back to the start of the 2021 season, Michigan has won 31 of its last 33 games at home, with the only two losses coming to Texas and Oregon last season. The loss to Texas snapped a 23-game winning streak at home, which was their longest since the Wolverines posted a 28-game home winning streak from 1969 to 1973 during Bo Schembechler’s time as head coach.

The Wolverine offense at a glance

Running the Michigan offense is quarterback Bryce Underwood, who is looking to be the first Wolverine true freshman quarterback to beat the Buckeyes. At times, it is obvious Underwood is still a freshman, like in the Purdue and Northwestern games when he threw three interceptions over the two contests. Underwood rebounded last week to throw for 215 yards and two scores in the blowout of Maryland. While Underwood’s stats aren’t gaudy, he does possess tremendous athletic ability, which opposing defenses have to respect.

The running game for Michigan took a hit when Justice Haynes was ruled out for the rest of the season due to injury after appearing in seven games. When he was healthy, the Alabama transfer ran for 857 yards and 10 touchdowns, cracking 100 yards on the ground in all but one game. Stepping in for Haynes was Cincinnati native Jordan Marshall, who ran for 100 yards in four consecutive games before he was hurt in the win over Northwestern. After missing last week’s game, Marshall has stated that he is healthy and will be on the field on Saturday.

AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement

Pairing with Marshall in the backfield will be Bryson Kuzdzal. The junior running back from Grand Rapids was massive for the Wolverines late in the close win over Northwestern after Marshall exited the game. Last week, Kuzdzal notched the first 100-yard rushing game of his career. By finding the end zone three times against the Terrapins, Kuzdzal became the third Michigan running back this season to score at least three rushing touchdowns in a game. As a team, the Wolverines have rushed for nearly 2,500 yards this season, which is almost 300 more yards than they have passed for through 11 games.

Underwood’s top target through the air has been Andrew Marsh. The freshman didn’t really start to make an impact until October, when he caught eight passes for 138 yards and a touchdown in the loss to USC. The best game of Marsh’s young career came two weeks ago at Wrigley Field when he hauled in 12 passes for 189 yards in the 25-24 win over Northwestern. For the year, Marsh has caught 42 passes for 641 yards and three scores.

The only other Michigan receiver with more than 20 catches is Donaven McCulley, who has 32 catches for 388 yards and three touchdowns. Semaj Morgan and tight end Marlin Klein each have 19 catches this year, but Morgan hasn’t caught a pass since the Washington game in the middle of October. At 6-foot-6, Klein will certainly be a target for Underwood if the Wolverines are able to move into the Ohio State red zone.

The leader of the offensive line of the Wolverines is left guard Gio El-Hadi, who was named a team captain this year. After missing three games earlier in the year, El-Hadi has been healthy enough to start the last five games. To the left of El-Hadi at tackle is Blake Frazier, who has stepped in for the injured starter Evan Link. At center is veteran Greg Crippen, while Jake Guarnera and Andrew Sprague round out the unit that has been paving the way this season for Michigan’s potent rushing attack.

AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementMichigan’s defense is making life tough for opponents

Under defensive coordinator Wink Martindale, the Michigan defense has been tough for opponents to crack this year. The Wolverines are giving up just 17.9 points per game and just over 300 yards per contest. The strength of the group is their rush defense, which gives up 94 yards per game, ranking 11th in the NCAA. Michigan has given up less than 80 yards on the ground to five opponents this season, while four teams have been able to eclipse 100 yards rushing this year against the Wolverines.

The primary threat to pressure the quarterback this week for Michigan will be Derrick Moore, who has 9.5 sacks this season, which ranks second in the Big Ten. With half a sack more, Moore will move into a tie for 10th for the most sacks in a season in Michigan school history, and his 20.5 career sacks currently rank eighth in program history. On the interior of the defensive line, Rayshaun Benny has plugged the hole left by first-round draft pick Mason Graham, and Enow Etta has made a habit of getting his hands in passing lanes, breaking up six passes this season.

Michigan might be without its top tackler on Saturday, as Ernest Hausmann is dealing with an injury that caused him to miss last week’s game against Maryland. The former Nebraska linebacker leads the team with 68 tackles, with 5.5 of those stops coming behind the line of scrimmage. With Hausmann sidelined last week, Cole Sullivan got the start at linebacker. The other two linebacker spots will be occupied by Jimmy Rolder, who has 57 tackles on the season. Jaishawn Barham is the most dynamic player on the ground, as evidenced by his 10 TFLs and four sacks in 2025.

AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement

Another Michigan captain who might be sidelined for The Game is defensive back Rod Moore, who has missed the last five games. If Moore can’t play, the Wolverines will be missing a bunch of experience at safety, as Moore has started 29 games in his career. Last week against Maryland, T.J. Metcalf and Brandyn Hillman started at the two safety spots. The duo has combined to make 82 tackles and pick off two passes this season.

The cornerback spots will be occupied by Jyaire Hill and Zeke Berry. Hill has started 20 games in his Michigan career, breaking up 13 passes during his time on the field. Berry has nine PBUs and an interception this season. Much like Hill, Berry has also started at least 20 games in his college career in the secondary. Mason Curtis rounds out the group, having made three starts at the nickel spot. Last week against Maryland, Curtis recorded six tackles and intercepted a pass.

Prediction

Usually, when The Game rolls around, the best strategy is to expect the unexpected. Just look at last year, where nobody gave Michigan a chance, and the Wolverines left Columbus with a 13-10 win. Luckily for Ohio State, the loss didn’t knock them out of the playoff. Since falling to their rival, the Buckeyes haven’t trailed in the second half of a game since. Which is a gift but also could be a curse since Buckeye Nation doesn’t know how their team will respond if the team finds themselves in a tight game after halftime.

AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement

The biggest question heading into this game is how Ryan Day approaches Saturday’s contest. Last year, it was obvious Day let the game get away from him and played the game Michigan wanted to play. Is there some sort of mental block for Day when it comes to Michigan, or did the Ohio State head coach learn his lesson last year? If the Buckeyes play their game, it’s hard to see the Wolverines being able to win a fifth straight game over Ohio State.

Another massive question this week is the health of Carnell Tate and Jeremiah Smith. At least Smith has already come out and stated he’ll be playing on Saturday, but there are still questions about Tate’s availability. If both wide receivers can play, it will likely be tough for Michigan to be able to match what Julian Sayin and the Buckeye offense can do, since Bryce Underwood is still struggling to find consistency behind center for the Wolverines.

Underwood’s first taste of The Game could be a rude awakening since Ohio State has a brilliant defensive mind in Matt Patricia, putting together a plan on how to slow down the athletic freshman quarterback. As if Patricia’s schemes alone weren’t scary enough for Underwood, the Ohio State defensive coordinator has Caleb Downs and Sonny Styles to carry out his orders on the field. Downs and Styles will likely be playing at another level on Saturday since it will be their last game against Michigan in the scarlet and gray. Even though Downs could return for a senior season, there is no reason for the outstanding safety to pass up the NFL after this year.

In the end, this Ohio State team has had this game circled since they were upset by the Wolverines last year in Columbus. The loss to Michigan was the motivation the Buckeyes needed to make a national championship run last year, and this year’s group wants to right the wrongs of the last four meetings with the Wolverines. The Buckeyes book their spot in next week’s Big Ten Championship Game in Indianapolis for the first time since 2020 by beating Michigan in Ann Arbor.

LGHL score prediction: Ohio State 28, Michigan 13AdvertisementAdvertisement