Michigan State and No. 3 Ohio State will battle at 7:30 p.m. Eastern Time on Peacock in East Lansing on Saturday night.

The Spartans coming off a tough 23-19 loss on the road against Boston College, while the Buckeyes are coming off a 49-14 victory against Marshall in Columbus.

Ohio State has fared well against the Spartans as of late, winning the last eight meetings. The Buckeyes have also not lost a game in East Lansing since 1999. OSU leads the overall series versus MSU 37-15.

Let's get to know the 2024 Ohio State football team better.

Ryan Day, who took over as Ohio State's full-time head coach for the 2019 season, has a perfect mark against the Spartans with a 5-0 record.

Day’s Buckeyes have also outscored the Spartans 229 (45.8 points per game) to 52 (10.4 points per game) in those five meetings.

Now lead by a new head coach in Jonathan Smith, Michigan State will look to bounce back against the Buckeyes Saturday night and make the more competitive than what it has been in Day's tenure.

Overall, Day has compiled an impressive record of 59-8 as a head coach (including his three games as acting head coach for the Buckeyes in 2018). He has won 88% of his games, which is the highest mark among active coaches in the country, according to Pro Football Focus.

Day has also amassed a Big Ten record of 39-3. His only losses in conference play are to rival Michigan, after the Wolverines won three-straight games against the Buckeyes from 2021 through 2023.

Additionally, Day has won two Big Ten titles (2019 and 2020) and was named the Big Ten Coach of the Year in 2019.

The Buckeyes and Spartans both dipped into the transfer portal to find their 2024 starting quarterbacks. While Michigan State brought in Oregon State transfer Aidan Chiles, Ohio State went after former Kansas State quarterback Will Howard, who produced 67 total touchdowns in his time with the Wildcats. Howard’s running ability at the quarterback position was a perfect match with current Ohio State offensive coordinator Chip Kelly’s spread option offensive attack. So far this season, Howard has rushed for two touchdowns, while also adding six in the air.

Not only does Ohio State have a running threat with its quarterback, but the Buckeyes have arguably the best running back duos in all of college football with Quinshon Judkins and TreVeyon Henderson. Those two have has combined for nine rushing touchdowns and over 500 yards on the ground thus far in 2024. Judkins was a transfer portal acquisition from Ole Miss in the offseason, and totaled 2,725 rushing yards and 31 touchdowns in his two seasons in Oxford.

Not only is the Ohio State backfield littered with NFL talent, but the wide receivers room has just as many stars, if not more. Reliable graduate senior wide receiver Emeka Egbuka is the leader of the unit and has 14 catches for 266 yards and a touchdown so far this season. However, the most talented player in the room may be true freshman Jeremiah Smith. Smith has caught 14 passes for a team-leading 281 yards and has hauled in four touchdowns (which also leads the team) in just three games.

The Ohio State offense is averaging 52.3 points per game through three games and will pose a massive threat to the Spartan defense. However, the Spartans have 15 sacks so far this season, which is the most in the Big Ten. Look for the Spartans to send pressures from all three levels of the field from defensive coordinator/linebackers coach Joe Rossi.

The Buckeye defense is just as stout as the offense, and it is currently only giving up 6.67 points per game. The unit is led by defensive coordinator Jim Knowles.

Ohio State welcomed transfer defensive back Caleb Downs from Alabama over the offseason and that move boosted what was an already talented secondary. Between Downs, Denzel Burke and Davison Igbinosun, the Buckeyes are primed to have multiple NFL draft picks from their defensive backfield.

Meanwhile, Jack Sawyer and JT Tuimoloau headline a talented defensive line unit for the Buckeyes. Sawyer has recorded nine tackles, one tackle for loss and one sack. Tuimoloau has amassed seven tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks on the campaign.

The Spartans will certainly have their hands full on Saturday, but expect an intense and focused MSU defense led by Rossi to keep the game closer than the experts and fans may think.

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