Kent State walks into Ohio Stadium on Saturday as one of the largest underdogs on the Week 4 board. Ohio State is laying 53 points, a number that has not moved since the market posted it. What has moved is the price attached to it. In a game this lopsided, the pricing is where the decision lives, and it shapes both plays below. Neither asks you to treat a blowout as settled.
Last Updated: Saturday, September 19, 2026
Kent State vs. Ohio State — Time & How to Watch
| Where | Ohio Stadium, Columbus OH |
| When | Saturday, September 19 – 12:00 PM ET |
| TV | FOX |
Kent State vs. Ohio State Betting Preview
Both teams arrive at 1-1, and the records are all they have in common. Ohio State opened with a 56-3 win over Ball State, then lost 24-23 at Texas in a game it led into the fourth quarter. That dropped Ryan Day’s team to No. 6 in the AP Top 25. Julian Sayin is still the starter, and the offense has not been the issue.
Kent State’s season has run in two directions. Mark Carney’s team was shut out 57-0 at South Carolina, then scored 22 unanswered fourth-quarter points to beat Wofford 36-15. Dru DeShields starts at quarterback and is a legitimate dual threat, leading the team in rushing. He has been uneven, though. Two interceptions against an FCS opponent is not a detail that travels well to Columbus.
The series offers no comfort either. Ohio State leads it 3-0 and won those meetings by an average of roughly 48 points, including 66-0 in 2014. This is a Big Ten program hosting a MAC program, and the roster gap is not subtle. For a line-shopping view of the same game, see our Kent State vs. Ohio State odds and how-to-watch breakdown.
Kent State vs. Ohio State Odds
| Spread | Moneyline | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kent State | +53 (-120) | – | U 58.5 (+100) |
| Ohio State | -53 (+100) | – | O 58.5 (-120) |
Odds accurate as of September 19, 2026 via TheSpread.com. Odds change, get the latest NCAAF Odds – Futures – Props
Kent State vs. Ohio State — Who Is the Public Betting?
| Kent State | 49% | 51% | Ohio State |
See the latest College Football Public Betting Splits and make smarter wagers!
Kent State vs. Ohio State Prediction — Does the Number Match the Mismatch?
Start with the one comparable result on the board. Ohio State opened with a 56-3 win over Ball State, a MAC program cut from similar cloth to Saturday’s visitor. Kent State was shut out by an SEC opponent three weeks ago and never reached the end zone. The host is also coming off a loss it let slip away late, which tends to produce a sharp response in a tune-up.
The case against is real, and it lives in the back half. Margins this wide are rarely built across four full quarters. Starters come out, the clock runs, and the scoreboard stops tracking the talent gap. Kent State, meanwhile, showed something against Wofford by erasing a halftime deficit. Reserves against reserves is a different game than starters against reserves.
Then there is the pricing, the piece that actually changed this week. The number opened where it sits now, but the underdog side has grown more expensive while the favorite side has grown cheaper. That is the market absorbing underdog money without moving the line. Public tickets, in contrast, are split down the middle, so this is not a matter of fading a stampede. It is a matter of taking the discounted side.
The Pick: Ohio State -53 (+100)
Kent State vs. Ohio State Prediction — Will Garbage Time Decide the Scoreboard?
The total sits in an awkward spot for a game this one-sided. Ohio State’s opener produced 59 combined points. The Texas trip produced 47. Kent State’s two games landed on 57 and 51. The recent scoring pattern, in other words, is not shouting in either direction.
The path higher is simple enough. Ohio State’s first team stacks points before halftime, and Kent State finds a score or two in the second half against reserves. The path lower is just as easy to picture. Kent State managed nothing against the best defense it has faced, Ohio State surrendered three points to a MAC opponent in the opener, and play-calling turns conservative once a result is settled. A running clock does not manufacture points. The pricing, meanwhile, tilts slightly to one side of this market.
The Pick: Under 58.5 (+100)
Final Thoughts and Bonus Angle
There is no moneyline posted for this game in our odds data, which is common once a spread reaches this size. The favorite’s price would be short enough that the market is not worth offering. That removes the usual moneyline angle, and inventing an alternate-line play without a posted price would be guesswork. The two positions above stand on their own.
If you want one more thread to follow rather than bet, make it the kicking game. Da’Realyst Clark is Kent State’s most explosive skill player and a genuine return threat, and a special-teams score is one of the few plays that can swing a game like this against the number. Saturday’s board carries several similar mismatches, and our Western Kentucky vs. Indiana odds breakdown works through another one.
To recap the card: Ohio State -53 (+100) on the spread, and Under 58.5 (+100) on the total. Both sit at even money, the through-line of this handicap. Neither is a position to oversize. A spread this large carries variance in both directions, and one special-teams score can push the result across either number late.
NCAAF Kent State vs. Ohio State FAQ: Saturday September 19, 2026
What time does the Kent State vs. Ohio State game start?
Kickoff is set for 12:00 p.m. ET on Saturday, September 19, 2026. The game occupies FOX’s early-afternoon Big Noon Saturday window, the network’s national lead-off slot for the week. Ohio State hosts, so the listed start time applies across the country without a regional adjustment.
What channel is the Kent State vs. Ohio State game on?
The game airs on FOX. It is the network’s Big Noon Saturday selection for the week, which places the broadcast in the national early window rather than a regional one. Coverage begins at kickoff, 12:00 p.m. ET, from Columbus, Ohio.
Where are Kent State and Ohio State playing?
The game is at Ohio Stadium in Columbus, Ohio. Ohio State is the designated home team, and this is a standard home date rather than a neutral-site event. Kent State makes a short in-state trip for the meeting, its first appearance in Columbus since 2014.
Who won the last meeting between Kent State and Ohio State?
Ohio State won the last meeting 66-0 in September 2014 at Ohio Stadium. That game is part of a 3-0 all-time series lead for Ohio State, with the three previous meetings decided by an average of roughly 48 points. Saturday marks the fourth matchup between the two schools.
Who is starting at quarterback for Kent State and Ohio State?
Julian Sayin starts at quarterback for Ohio State and Dru DeShields starts for Kent State. DeShields is a dual-threat starter who leads Kent State in rushing through two games. Sayin has directed an Ohio State offense that has scored 79 points across its first two contests.