The Ohio State Buckeyes are at it again. After an early season loss, Ohio State has now won four straight games by at least 30 points and crushed Rutgers and Maryland in consecutive weeks. This is a pattern for Ohio State at this point, who has done this for the past four years now. The Buckeyes will now head on the road for what seemed like a tough test at the start of the season. However, disaster has struck for the Nebraska Cornhuskers who might miss out on a bowl for the second time in three years under Mike Riley.
Kickoff for this regular season Week 7 game is set for Saturday, October 14, 2017, at 7:30 p.m.
ET at Memorial Stadium in Lincoln, Nebraska. This game will be broadcast on FS1.
College Football Opening Odds at BookMaker.eu
Ohio State -24
Nebraska +24
Over/Under Check Back Later
Odds Analysis
Ohio State went 0-3 ATS in non-conference play, but is 3-0 ATS in Big Ten play so far. The Buckeyes have outscored Big Ten opponents 167-35 this year and bettors did not think that oddsmakers made the spread large enough in this one as a result. Ohio State opened up as a 21.5-point favorite, but that line quickly jumped to 24 points.
Nebraska is 3-3 SU, but 2-4 ATS this year. The Huskers have two Big Ten wins, but they came against perhaps the two worst teams in the conference in Rutgers and Illinois. This team might be an underdog in four of its remaining games, and boosters are already lining up to get rid of Mike Riley and bring Scott Frost back to Lincoln.
Last Meeting
It was a bloodbath when these teams met in Columbus last year. Ohio State dominated the entire way in a 62-3 rout of a Nebraska team that was then ranked No. 10 in the country. The Cornhuskers were unable to create any sort of offense on the evening, finishing with just 204 total yards and nine first downs.
Perhaps the most striking aspect in the loss, were Nebraska’s passing numbers. The Cornhuskers used two quarterbacks who combined to complete just nine of 33 passes in this one and threw two interceptions.
Things weren’t much different on the other side of the ball. Ohio State was able to do whatever it wanted against Nebraska’s defense, racking up 590 total yards of offense in the rout. J.T. Barrett had a great game, and Ohio State’s running game couldn’t be stopped either.
The final score showed the chasm between these two teams, and it might not be much different this time around either.
Key Stat
Tanner Lee has not had a good season replacing Tommie Armstrong. Lee was a transfer from Tulane that came to Nebraska with some fanfare, and this team was expecting big things from him.
That has not been the case, as Lee has been extremely turnover prone. He has thrown the second most interceptions in the NCAA this season, and five percent of his passes have been picked off. Further, he has completed just 54 percent of his passes and is not the dynamic runner that Armstrong was. He will have his work cut out for him in this one.
Free ATS Pick
A big loss here might be the final nail in Riley’s coffin. Riley was hired to replace the acerbic Bo Pelini, but it just hasn’t worked out in Lincoln. The school is no longer contending for Big Ten titles like they were in each season Pelini was in charge, and still can’t bring talented athletes to corn country.
Urban Meyer’s Buckeyes are coming together and will be ready for a primetime game in Lincoln. Ohio State will rout Nebraska in this one, and continue its march through the weaker teams of the Big Ten.
College Football Odds: Ohio State 52, Nebraska 17
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