No. 4 Ohio State routs No. 7 MSU, 56-7, in pivotal Big Ten matchup

A tight duel was expected between top 10 teams vying for a spot in the College Football Playoff, but the No. 4 Ohio State Buckeyes' 56-7 win over the No. 7 Michigan State Spartans was never even competitive.

The Buckeyes scored touchdowns on their first seven drives of the game, jumping out to a 49-0 lead in the first half. The only points of the day for Michigan State came in a 7-7 fourth quarter with Ohio State resting most of its starters.

Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud completed 32 of his 35 passes for 432 yards with six touchdowns and no interceptions, strengthening his late season push for the Heisman Trophy. After the game, Stroud said the Buckeyes offense did a "decent job" against the Spartans defense.

The blowout loss for Michigan State comes amid a report from the Detroit Free Press that head coach Mel Tucker is finalizing a mammoth, 10-year contract extension worth $95 million. After the loss, Tucker told reporters that the team is "very, very disappointed" with its performance.