The Ohio State Buckeyes left no doubt who was the better team last week against Army. A week after getting throttled at home by Oklahoma, the Buckeyes piled on the yardage over four quarters in an easy win over the Black Knights. They have one more game before starting their conference schedule on the road against Rutgers next week and will look to make the most of it. The UNLV Rebels are going to be hard-pressed to do anything against a focused and determined Buckeyes team this week.
Kickoff for this regular season Week 4 game is set for Saturday, September 23, 2017, at 12 p.m.
ET at Ohio Stadium in Columbus, Ohio. This game will be broadcast on the Big Ten Network.
College Football Opening Odds at BookMaker.eu
UNLV +39.5
Ohio State -39.5
Odds Analysis
UNLV had the week off to prepare for Ohio State, but that won’t do the team much good unless it can bring in a whole new defense. The Rebels suffered the worst point spread loss in modern history in their opener, losing as a 45-point favorite to Cam Newton’s little brother at Howard. They bounced back with an easy win against Idaho the following week, but the stunning loss caused a lot of people to abandon ship on a Rebels team that many people thought would be good this season.
The Buckeyes have yet to put the hammer down against any team. Ohio State struggled with Indiana in the first half of its opener before eventually pulling away and getting the cover and didn’t crush Army the way we expected them too last week. OSU’s last two games have gone under the total and the under has been a solid bet in Ohio State non-conference games recently.
This is the first ever meeting between these two programs.
Player to Watch
J.T. Barrett had his best game so far this season as a passer last week. He struggled to make things happen with his arm against both Indiana and Oklahoma and that led to the offense sputtering instead of running like a well-oiled machine. However, he put that to the side by completing 76 percent of his passes in a 38-7 win over Army last week.
Urban Meyer is going to ride Barrett all season, so it’s up to him to fix any issues. We all know what he can do with his feet, but he needs to be able to make the important throws too. That’s the only way that Ohio State will win the Big Ten and return to the College Football Playoff.
Matchup to Watch
UNLV’s run-first offense is going to have a hard time getting going against Ohio State’s front this week. The Rebels like to keep the ball on the ground as much as possible in head coach Tony Sanchez’s system, but that typically doesn’t work against the big boys of college football.
In spite of the numbers to the contrary, Ohio State has one of the best defensive fronts in college football. The numbers have been skewed by its poor performance against Oklahoma and after a game against an Army team that was going to keep the ball on the ground all game no matter what, but it’s hard to imagine UNLV running for over four yards a carry against the Buckeyes.
Free ATS Pick
Still, 39.5 points is a lot to cover. Urban Meyer is not one to run it up on lesser foes and instead will use this game as a tune up for the start of Big Ten play. The Buckeyes don’t have a tough opponent until the end of October and will be using this time to work out some of the kinks in their offense. Just like last week, look for an Ohio State win that falls short of the cover.
College Football Odds: Buckeyes 41, Rebels 10
BookMaker offers play-by-play betting odds for live sporting events every day! The user-friendly wagering interface on your smartphone provides an easy way to place bets on the go. Mobile betting lines are updated by the minute, so click here to start gambling on thrilling live action at BookMaker Sportsbook!
