Ohio State football: 5 reasons the Buckeyes will beat Michigan

2. The Buckeyes continue to win the quarterback and coaching battle over the Wolverines.

Arguably the most important factors in a match up come down to the quarterback and the coach. If a team can win the quarterback/coaching battle then their chances of victory significantly increase. This is why the best quarterbacks and coaches in the league win the Super Bowl most of the time.

As one of the most seasoned veterans in college football, Barrett has been through some of the toughest challenges. His experience matched with his variety of skills has made the Bucks an incredibly difficult foe to take down. He’s been one of the best, if not the best, quarterbacks in the Big Ten since his start in 2014.

The Wolverines have not had an answer for stopping the Bucks led by Barrett in the last three seasons. Barrett has gotten it done whether his play has shown up on the stat sheets or not. He will once again play a key part in the Bucks’ game plan on Saturday.

The quarterback conditions are much different on the other end for the Wolverines. They’ve struggled to get decent play from their quarterbacks and the situation has only gotten worse this season with the loss of their starter to injury early on.

The Bucks have had an advantage at the coaching position over many teams since Urban Meyer signed on in 2012. His unquestionable experience is filled with multiple winning seasons complete with three national titles to his name.

The Wolverines brought in a big name coach to their program as well with the signing of Jim Harbaugh. His resume includes three NFL conference championship appearances and a Super Bowl appearance.

Harbaugh is just 4-6 against ranked opponents with the Wolverines. He’s never finished higher than third in the Big Ten East division either. Meanwhile, Urban Meyer is at the very top of the list at 35-14 against ranked opponents. Maybe it’s a good thing for TTUN that they found a way to be unranked for this year’s match up.

As much as the spotlight’s been on the rivalry between these two teams in general, the importance in this match up and in this series during these last few seasons has been on the coaches. Meyer and Harbaugh have been two of the most highly publicized coaches in college football and now their time to duke it out has arrived once again. As for the generals on the field, Barrett will be the key to leading the Bucks passed the Wolverines as usual. Expect the Bucks to use their superior leadership as the motor for their success against the Wolverines.