Ohio State vs. Michigan: Force Against Force

History has an excellent chance of repeating itself Saturday when Ohio State plays Michigan.

Odds makers have installed No. 3 Michigan (9-1, 7-0 in the Big Ten) as a 13 1/2-point favorite, but don’t you believe it. The Buckeyes (8-2, 6-1) are ranked No. 20 and riding a six-game winning streak this week.

The last three games between the Buckeyes and Wolverines have been decided by a field goal or less, and players and coaches on both sides expect another close match.

And for good reason. Ohio State has the best offense in the Big Ten, and Michigan has the best defense. It’ll be force against force.

Something’s got to give. But what?

“They got a great football team,” Ohio State Coach John Cooper said. “I don’t see any weaknesses on their football team. They got offense, defense, a kicking game. They got great athletes. They’re 5 points from being ranked No. 1 in the country right now.”

The Wolverines were ranked No. 1 in the preseason poll, but a 24-19 loss to Notre Dame in the first game of the season took care of that.

Since then, Michigan has been creeping up steadily, playing tough defense and making do with an offense that took longer to jell than Coach Bo Schembechler would have liked.

Michigan will have to dig even deeper for offense because Tony Boles, the Wolverines’ leading rusher with 839 yards, will miss the game. Boles injured his right knee last weekend at Minnesota and underwent exploratory arthroscopic surgery Wednesday.

Ohio State is averaging 417.9 yards a game in total offense. The Buckeyes also lead the Big Ten in rushing and scoring, rolling up 245.1 yards on the ground and averaging 30.7 points per game.

Much has been written and broadcast about the size of Michigan’s offensive line this season. The Wolverines average almost 300 pounds across the front.

But so do the Buckeyes with 310-pound Tim Moxley, 295-pound Karl Coles, 275-pound Dan Beatty, 305-pound Jeff Davidson and 290-pound Joe Staysniak.

“I think the key to the game will be Ohio State’s offensive line,” Michigan defensive tackle Brent White said. “They’re just big, strong and definitely good. They’re an impressive line. If that’s not a challenge to us, I don’t know what is.

As usual, this game will have a bearing on the final conference standings and the Big Ten representative in the Rose Bowl. Only the Wolverines, however, control their own destiny.

If Michigan wins, it goes to Pasadena. If the Buckeyes win, they can earn a three-way tie for the Big Ten championship. But in order for Ohio State to go to the Rose Bowl, they would have to pray for Northwestern to either tie or defeat Illinois.