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Ohio State Buckeyes at Rutgers Scarlet Knights: Betting Guide
The No. 11 Ohio State Buckeyes take on the Rutgers Scarlet Knights in Piscataway, NJ, Saturday in a meeting of 3-1 Big Ten opponents. Both teams’ lone losses have come at the hands of ranked opposition, with Rutgers being the most recent to fall in a 20-13 result against the No. 19 Michigan Wolverines last weekend.
This is is Ohio State’s game to lose — but don’t wrap this one up just yet! The scores and odds ought to tell us more about this one, so let’s take a closer look!
| Game: #11 Ohio State (3-1) at Rutgers (3-1) Location: SHI Stadium Time: 3:30 p.m. ET Television: BTN |
Betting Lines
| Team | Point Spread | Moneyline | Over/Under | Team Total |
| #11 Ohio State | -15 (-110) | -600 | 56.5 (-110) | – |
| Rutgers | +15 (-110) | +450 | 56.5 (-110) | – |
Head-to-Head
Ohio State has won all seven meetings between these programs, the most recent in November when the Buckeyes won 49-27 at home.
One key difference between the Ohio State teams of years past and this one is that they have a freshman starting at quarterback, C.J. Stroud, though his availability could be in jeopardy due to a shoulder injury. Rutgers quarterback Noah Vedral was there for last season’s defeat.
Ohio State
Next game: vs Maryland
Last Game
Ohio State is coming off of a 59-7 demolition of the Akron Zips in which Stroud did not participate; backup Kyle McCord only needed 18 passing attempts to throw for 319 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception. The Buckeyes also benefited from 237 yards and five touchdowns on the ground, led by TreVeyon Henderson’s 93 yards and two scores.
The defense finished with nine sacks and forced two interceptions.
Injury Report
Stroud’s status is up in the air, though his rest during the Akron game was more of a precautionary measure than a necessity, which would point to him being available if he is not 100%.
Rutgers
Next game: vs No. 17 Michigan State
Last Game
The Scarlet Knights fell to the No. 19 Michigan Wolverines, 20-13. Though their defense was great, which does affect their NCAA odds here, only relinquishing 275 yards of offense to the Wolverines, they only managed to break into the end zone one time while also coughing the ball up on a costly fumble.
If there were any silver linings, Rutgers showed it can move the ball on the ground regardless of the caliber of defense they face; Isaih Pacheco cleared 100 yards, and the team ran for 196. They also won the time of possession battle, which could help them tremendously.
Injury Report
Honorable Mention All-Big Ten 2020 starting right guard, Reggie Sutton, is out for the season after suffering an ankle injury in practice last week. This is something you need to know if you’ll be investing in college football spread this season.
Betting on the Game
Point Spread
Ohio State opened as a 14.5-point favorite and sportsbooks had to bet them up. The Buckeyes have been close on either side of the point spread in their three victories, though they would not have expected a seven-point home loss to the then-No. 12 Oregon Ducks.
Stroud has played well while dealing with what is now known to be at least be a lingering shoulder problem. McCord filled in for Stroud admirably, but they will feel more comfortable if their freshman starter can go on Saturday.
Rutgers, meanwhile, has been the surprise of the conference as Head Coach Greg Schiano is leading a resurgence. Schiano served as a graduate assistant with the Scarlet Knights in 1989, returned from 2001-2011 as Head Coach, and is in the second year of his third stint with the program. Interestingly, Schiano’s most recent college job was as the Ohio State Assistant Head Coach and Defensive Coordinator at Ohio State from 2016-2018.
Rutgers wants to run the ball much more frequently than the Scarlet Knights throw it, and although they are only averaging 3.6 yards per carry, 10 of their 15 scores this season have come on the ground.
The defensive battle could be the most interesting aspect of this game, despite the other storylines at play; Ohio State has recorded 23 sacks and six turnovers to Rutgers’ 14 and eight, setting the stage for a downhill attack from both sides on defense. This is likely to bring the score down rather than up, which feeds into the Scarlet Knights covering the spread at home. They also showed that they can handle the spread against the Wolverines last weekend, so this will probably not be the week to break the trend.
Moneyline
In no way should the Scarlet Knights be counted out; clearly, Ohio State is the favorite, but the Rutgers moneyline provides tremendous value. Most sportsbooks, including BetUS, have the Scarlet Knights at around +450. Taking the home team on the spread would be the safer bet, but taking them on the moneyline as a hedge bet could prove to be a valuable investment too.
Over/Under
The points total has been set at 56.5. The under seems like the clear choice here. Add in the fact that Rutgers wants to run on first and second down and drain the clock, and there should be less than 56.5 points scored.
