For the first time all season, Columbus, Ohio will host "College GameDay" in what will be a massive game between the fourth-ranked Buckeyes and No. 7 Michigan State.
Rece Davis, Kirk Herbstreit, Lee Corso, Desmond Howard, David Pollack and Co. will head to Ohio Stadium to preview a game that will not only affect the Big Ten championship race, but also the College Football Playoff rankings. Should the Spartans pull off the upset in Columbus, they will have only Penn State and the Big Ten West division champion standing between them and a playoff berth.
Things are slightly more complicated for Ohio State which, even with a win on Saturday, has a tough road to a fifth playoff appearance. They must then face No. 6 Michigan in The Big House before heading to Indianapolis for the Big Ten championship game. The Buckeyes then have to contend with their Week 2 loss to Oregon, yet another team that is in the playoff chase.
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This game could be a contrast of styles as Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud seeks to lead the Buckeyes to victory. He has completed 68.8 percent of his passes for 3,036 yards and 30 touchdowns to five interceptions. He has no shortage of skill position weapons to use in Jaxon Smith-Njigba (59 receptions, 1,027 yards, five touchdowns), Garrett Wilson (53 receptions, 813 yards, nine touchdowns) or Chris Olave (51 receptions, 708 yards, 11 touchdowns). Running back TreVeyon Henderson (141 rushes, 1,035 yards, 14 touchdowns) is a home run threat as well.
There's no question who Michigan State's offense runs through: running back Kenneth Walker III. The junior leads all FBS in rushing yards (1,483 yards) and ties the national lead in rushing touchdowns (17) and touchdowns from scrimmage (18). He is also coming off three straight games with at least 143 yards and one score. In fact, he only has three games rushing for fewer than 100 yards this season.
Which play style will win out on Saturday? Only one way to find out. Until then, Sporting News has you covered on how to watch "College GameDay" preview the massive Big Ten meeting.
MORE: Watch Ohio State vs. Michigan State live with fuboTV (7-day free trial)
Where is 'College GameDay' location for Week 12?
- Location: Columbus, Ohio
- Matchup: No. 7 Michigan State at No. 4 Ohio State
The Buckeyes will make their 51st all time appearance on "GameDay" on Saturday, giving them one more than second-place Alabama for most all time. It will also be Ohio State's 20th time hosting "GameDay," a scenario in which the Buckeyes are 14-5 all time. More impressive is that all but one of those games took place between ranked teams (the lone exception was a 38-24 win over unranked Penn State in 2010).
Surprisingly, Ohio State has more nonconference losses in Ohio Stadium than conference losses; they have lost to Texas (2005), USC (2009) and Oklahoma (2017). In the Big Ten, only Penn State (2008) and Michigan State (2015) can claim "GameDay" victories in Columbus.
Michigan State is making its 16th all-time appearance on "GameDay," where it has gone 9-6 in its previous 15 matchups. That includes a 2-1 record as the road team, 9-2 record in ranked matchups and 2-2 record against Ohio State.
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'College GameDay' schedule on ESPN
- TV channel: ESPN
- Start time: 9 a.m. ET
Davis, Herbstreit, Howard and Pollack will preview Week 12 action live from Ohio Stadium starting at 9 a.m. ET. The game will be broadcast on ESPN, with kickoff set for 7 p.m. ET.
"GameDay" has three games to consider for its Week 13 visit, depending on how Week 12 plays out. The most obvious of those is No. 4 Ohio State at No. 6 Michigan. The game could very well determine the Big Ten East champion and, by extension, the Big Ten champion outright. Another option is Bedlam, between No. 13 Oklahoma and No. 9 Oklahoma State in Stillwater. It's possible the game features the Sooners and Cowboys as one-loss opponents; it could also be the first of two meetings this season. The meeting between No. 2 Alabama and Auburn in the Iron Bowl is also worth visiting, though the SEC West race could already be decided by then.
| Week | Matchup | Location | Guest Picker | Corso's Headgear | Outcome |
| 0 | Alcorn State vs. NCCU | Atlanta | Eddie George | Braves | NCCU 23, Alcorn State 14 |
| 1 | No. 5 Georgia vs. No. 3 Clemson | Charlotte, N.C. | Kane Brown | Bulldogs | Georgia 10, Clemson 3 |
| 2 | No. 10 Iowa at No. 9 Iowa State | Ames, Iowa | Ashton Kutcher | Hawkeyes | Iowa 27, Iowa State 17 |
| 3 | No. 22 Auburn at No. 10 Penn State | University Park, Pa. | Saquon Barkley | Nittany Lions | Penn State 28, Auburn 20 |
| 4 | No. 12 Notre Dame vs. No. 18 Wisconsin | Chicago | Danica Patrick | Fighting Irish | Notre Dame 41, Wisconsin 13 |
| 5 | No. 8 Arkansas at No. 2 Georgia | Athens, Ga. | Harris English | Bulldogs | Georgia 37, Arkansas 0 |
| 6 | No. 6 Oklahoma vs. No. 21 Texas | Dallas | Mark Cuban | Longhorns | Oklahoma 55, Texas 48 |
| 7 | No. 11 Kentucky at No. 2 Georgia | Athens, Ga. | Jeff Foxworthy | Bulldogs | Georgia 30, Kentucky 13 |
| 8 | No. 10 Oregon at UCLA | Pasadena, Calif. | Bill Walton | Bruins | Oregon 34, UCLA 31 |
| 9 | No. 6 Michigan at No. 8 Michigan State | East Lansing, Mich. | Ken Jeong | Wolverines | Michigan State 37, Michigan 33 |
| 10 | Tulsa at No. 6 Cincinnati | Cincinnati | Nick Lachey | Bearcats | Cincinnati 28, Tulsa 20 |
| 11 | No. 11 Texas A&M at No. 15 Ole Miss | Oxford, Miss. | Lane Kiffin | Rebels | Ole Miss 29, Texas A&M 19 |
| 12 | No. 7 Michigan State at No. 4 Ohio State | Columbus, Ohio | Twenty One Pilots | Buckeyes | TBD |
Who is the guest picker on 'College GameDay' for Week 12?
"GameDay" has announced musical duo Twenty One Pilots — who originate from Columbus, Ohio — as its celebrity guest picker for Week 12:
"Big moment for me, I've been a GameDay fan my entire life!" @twentyonepilots will be our celebrity guest pickers tomorrow 🙌 pic.twitter.com/da59yGMJZG
— College GameDay (@CollegeGameDay) November 19, 2021
