Ohio State Football: How the Buckeyes Can Extend Their Win Streak over Michigan

For the first time in quite a few years, Ohio State is the underdog in their annual rivalry game against Michigan, with what will be the last game in a very forgettable season.

Almost everything is in the Wolverines' favor, with some Buckeyes fans not even thinking about the game because of the Urban Meyer buzz swirling all over Columbus.

This has truly been a year to flush down the toilet, with multiple off-field dramas, coaching issues and a stunning lack of talent in many areas on the team.

In other words, if there was any year for Michigan to end their six-game losing streak to OSU (not including vacated 2010 game), this year would be it.

But there is a problem with that: Michigan hasn't been in this position in quite some time, and now they need to beat Ohio State or else they will have failed to live up to expectations.

On the other side, a Buckeyes team that has been used to beating Michigan does have some more incentive to get up for the game, being the underdog.

The big thing Ohio State needs to do is to be able to start fast, which is something they haven't been able to do much of all season long.

But with a good running attack led by senior RB Dan Herron and freshman phenom Braxton Miller, they will have a chance to control the tempo which is something they need to do.

They will need to carve out some semblance of a passing game, or even the imitation of one (which at times they have failed to do), to get Michigan's blitzing defense off balance, opening up running lanes for Miller.

Luckily, Ohio State understands what it takes to beat their biggest rival to the north, and the intensity level it takes to earn the famous Gold Pants.

The mental aspect is something that, if used correctly, can topple Michigan, especially if OSU gets ahead by one or two touchdowns.

And depending on what OSU does defensively, keeping the clamps down on Denard Robinson as they have done in their prior two meetings will help suffocate Brady Hoke's offense.

Michigan State's defensive game plan needs to be the one OSU follows—make Denard beat you through the air.

Given the choice between Robinson's running and his throwing, the choice is easy.

But little-known back Fitzgerald Toussaint could be the X-factor for Michigan, as he has come from nowhere to be the feature back in the Michigan offense.

Stop the ground game, especially if the elements become a factor as they have historically been, and the lever swings significantly in OSU's favor.

By no means is an Ohio State win impossible, but this is the one time in a while that Ohio State must overcome a lot in order to do so.

If Miller can top his performance that helped OSU score a big upset win over Wisconsin, the win streak could continue and, if the Meyer rumors are true, will generate a lot of good momentum going into year one under the former Florida head coach.

Follow me on Twitter @bielik_tim for more college football news and updates.