Michigan State vs. Ohio State final odds and a prediction
Game day is officially here, Spartan fans. Saturday marks the fifth week of the regular season and also features a Michigan State vs. Ohio State showdown that will be Jonathan Smith's first real test.
The first-year head coach has the Spartans off to a 3-1 start and they probably should be 4-0, but a loss to Boston College last week really hurt. They were in position to win late in the fourth quarter, but a Thomas Castellanos touchdown pass ended the Spartans' hopes.
Now, Ohio State comes to town as the No. 3 team in the country and it feels like Ryan Day just has his team firing on all cylinders when they face the Spartans. He has beaten Michigan State handily every year he's been with the Buckeyes and Vegas thinks he'll add another blowout win to his resume.
Here are the final odds from Draft Kings as of Saturday morning:
Line: Ohio State -23.5
Over/Under: 47.5
Moneyline: Ohio State -2400 | Michigan State +1200
Vegas clearly isn't high on the Spartans and that's fair given the fact that they haven't had a pulse against the Buckeyes since 2016. That's right, Michigan State hasn't played a single close game with Ohio State since the 3-9 team lost 17-16 back in 2016. That's unacceptable for a proud program like Michigan State.
This is Smith's first matchup with the Buckeyes and while no one is expecting him to lead Michigan State to a massive upset, keeping it respectable will prove that the prpgram is headed in the right direction.
What's my prediction?
I think this game is closer than people expect through the first half and then the Spartans run out of gas as Jeremiah Smith breaks a long touchdown in the third quarter that puts the game out of reach and sort of deflates the raucous Spartan Stadium crowd.
Final score: Ohio State 17, Michigan State 37