Oregon St. vs. Ohio St. Total Pick
Will the offense of No. 5 Ohio State be impacted by not having Urban Meyer around when they play host to Oregon State today at Noon ET?
Game Snapshot & Odds
155 Oregon State at 156 Ohio State
Saturday, September 1, 2018
Noon ET – Ohio Stadium
TV: ABC
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Public Betting Trends
According to oddsmakers at BetNow.eu, Ohio State is the clear favorite, as the Buckeyes are getting odds of -38.5 points against Oregon State on Saturday. The over/under total is listed at 63.5 points. The public betting for this game currently has 65 percent going on Ohio State at home. This information is subject to change, however, so be sure to check out our College Football Public Betting Page for updated figures on the game.
Buckeyes in turmoil
There are plenty of questions and bad vibes coming from Columbus due to the drama from former assistant Zach Smith that ultimately led to Urban Meyer getting a 3-game suspension. Ryan Day will be the coach heading into today’s game and for the next two games after. Last year, Ohio State was 12-2 and won the Big Ten. The Buckeyes were 7-7 against the spread last season and 9-5 with the over.
The Buckeyes should still have a very explosive offense this year. Last season, OSU averaged 41.1 points per game while the defense allowed just 19 per game. J.T. Barrett is gone, but Ohio State has Dwayne Haskins returning and the Buckeyes intend to use freshman Tate Martell as well. They both can rely on a dominant run game that features J.K. Dobbins and Mike Weber, who combined for over 2,000 yards and 17 touchdowns on the ground in 2017. They also return a lot of capable receivers.
Oregon State can’t do worse
Oregon State was a disaster in 2017, posting a 1-11 record. The team saw coach Gary Andersen resign in the middle of the year and the program is now turned over to first-time coach Jonathan Smith. He was the offensive coordinator for Washington the last four seasons. The Beavers were 3-9 against the spread, but did manage to go 9-3 with the over due to a really poor defense.
There wasn’t much secret to why the Beavers were so bad, as they allowed 43 points per game a year ago. The offense wasn’t very good either, scoring just 20.7 points per contest. The team hopes Jake Luton can provide a spark this year at QB. He had his 2017 season end early due to a spine fracture. Prior to the injury, he threw for 853 yards with four touchdowns and four interceptions. The team lost their leading rusher in Ryan Nall, but does bring back tight end Noah Togiai, who caught 34 passes for 461 yards and two scores in 2017. However, Togiai will miss the start of the season with a knee injury.
College Football Betting Trends
Ohio State
The Buckeyes have hit the under in four of their last five non-conference games, but have hit the over in eight of their last 11 on fieldturf.
Oregon State
Oregon State has hit the under in four of their last five against the Big Ten, but is 6-1 with the over in its last seven road games.
Prediction:
I think this game goes under, but not due to a lack of offense from Ohio State. I expect the Buckeyes to score almost at will and then put the brakes on in the second half. I don’t see Oregon State moving the ball very much on this OSU defense. Oregon State was putrid last year and are still working in a new head coach. I don’t think the Beavers are going to have much luck on either side of the ball, which will lead to these two hitting the under.
College Football Prediction: Oregon State/Ohio State Under 63.5