Michigan Wolverines Vs. Ohio State Buckeyes: Bold Predictions For Week 13 Of 2016 College Football Season

If you are looking for a bigger game than the Michigan Wolverines vs. Ohio State Buckeyes contest, then good luck. This was one of the most intriguing matchups on paper entering the 2016 college football season, and that is still very much the case.

One might be wondering what is at stake. Well, other than serious bragging rights — this is Michigan vs. Ohio State, after all — the winner could end up playing in the Big Ten championship game next. The winner might also partake in the College Football Playoff.

If the Wolverines win, they will actually clinch a spot in the Big Ten title game. However, if the Buckeyes win, then they will become the biggest Michigan State Spartans fans. Even if Ohio State knocks off Michigan, it still needs the Penn State Nittany Lions to lose. Of course, Penn State and Michigan State will be taking the field against one another.

To recap the scenario, Penn State beat Ohio State earlier in the year, but the Nittany Lions lost to the Wolverines. As of right now, all three teams are tied at the top of the Big Ten East standings at 7-1.

It remains to be seen if the Buckeyes can make the College Football Playoff if they don’t win the Big Ten championship. If history repeats itself, the Buckeyes will miss out on the playoff. Last year, Ohio State didn’t make the Big Ten title game despite the fact that it only had one loss, and the team — you guessed it — missed out on the playoff.

Of course, Michigan can makes things very easy on the playoff committee by knocking off the Buckeyes on the road.

Before the festivities and one of the best rivalries in sports gets underway, make sure to check out the bold predictions below.

J.T. Barrett Can’t Be Stopped, Records 400 Total Yards, Three Touchdowns

J.T. Barrett likely won’t win the Heisman this year, but he could still end up winning a national championship. However, if the Buckeyes are going to knock off the Wolverines, Barrett will likely have to come up big, and come up big he will.

Just for the record, the Buckeyes knocked off the Wolverines on the road by the score of 42-13 last season. In that game, Barrett racked up 113 passing yards, 139 rushing yards, and four total touchdowns. Expect a similar performance from the quarterback this weekend. Only this time, he will have one less touchdown and a lot more yards.

While Barrett is more than capable of torching any defense in college football, it’s important to note that the Wolverines are only allowing 11 points per game, which is the best mark in the sport. Making things interesting, Ohio State is leading the country with 46.5 points per contest.

The Game Is All Tied Up Going Into The Fourth Quarter

Because why wouldn’t it be? This has been one of the most anticipated games of the season since the season started. At the time of this writing, Ohio State is ranked No. 2 in the College Football Playoff rankings and Michigan is ranked No. 3.

These squads have playoff contender written all over them. Unfortunately, only one of them will likely crash the playoff party.

It is worth noting that Ohio State gets this showdown at home in Columbus.

Barrett Leads The Buckeyes On A Game-Winning Drive

Wouldn’t that be something?

When these two teams meet on Saturday for what is probably the biggest game of the regular season, Barrett will be the best quarterback on the field. Heck, he has to be if the Buckeyes are going to hand the Wolverines the devastating loss.

Expect this battle to be much closer than last year’s contest, and also expect Barrett to come up huge on the biggest stage in college football. Leading his team on a game-winning drive would certainly do the trick.

[Featured Image by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images]