Advanced stats: Ohio State will have to play its best game to beat Michigan

Ohio State is in an unfamiliar situation. Not only are they home underdogs, but the Buckeyes are entering The Game where they’re not the playoff favorite in the matchup — Michigan is.

And the advanced stats agree with Vegas that Ohio State is an underdog (S&P+ favors Michigan by about 4.5).

We have a good sense for Ohio State’s strengths and weaknesses at this point, and we also know that the Buckeyes haven’t looked truly dominant in weeks. If you’ve felt like the offense and defense couldn’t agree to both take a step forward in the same week, you’re not alone — the stats back that up, too:

Those are Ohio State’s percentile performances for each game this season — as a whole, then offense and defense.