The tradition of Labor Day college football has become a mainstay in recent years, but this is an odd year from the standpoint that the defending champs, the Ohio State Buckeyes are going to be the ones closing out Week 1 instead of a more traditional ACC game. An ACC team is still hosting though, and it just happens to be the same Virginia Tech Hokies team which was the only one to beat the Buckeyes in 2014.
WHEN THE OHIO STATE BUCKEYES HAVE THE BALL
Urban Meyer is staying mum on his starting quarterback. J.T. Barrett and Cardale Jones are definitely both possibilities, but we are going into this one looking for Barrett to start to have a chance to avenge his first and only collegiate defeat.
Either way, the method is going to be the same for the Ohio State offense: Pound the rock with Ezekiel Elliott.
Yes, the Buckeyes played 12 of their last 14 games over the total last season, and yes, they dropped 42+ on each of their last five foes to do so and 31 or more in every game last year outside of the V-Tech debacle, but the way they play offense still promotes a lower scoring affair in live betting no matter the situation.
Elliott carried the ball 273 times last season, including 36 in the National Championship Game. He and either Barrett or Jones will end up having a lot of say on the ground in this one, and Frank Beamer and his defense know that that's coming.
Of course, it's a lot easier to stop this type of an offense than it sounds. Both Jones and Barrett can throw the ball a bit, and though there isn't that one explosive type of wide receiver which Ohio State is wielding that we know about yet, clearly athletes at this level are all going to be able to stretch the field at least a little bit against an inexperienced Virginia Tech secondary.
WHEN THE VIRGINIA TECH HOKIES HAVE THE BALL
The Hokies absolutely mustn't turn the ball over in this game, or they're just going to get wrecked. We know their defense is going to be on the field for the majority of this game, and Michael Brewer has to see to the fact that this doesn't get any worse.
The case for taking the Hokies in this one is the fact that Joey Bosa is out for Ohio State. He has been suspended for the opener, taking a first-round NFL Draft talent off of the field. The Buckeyes are going to be without their captain for this game, and that could make some of the calls on the field a little suspect at times.
Could there be breakdowns? Certainly there could be. The question is whether Brewer, who is a very experienced quarterback but has never really put it all together in his career, is capable of taking advantage. He did last year against the Buckeyes. Whether V-Tech succeeds in live betting is going to come down to whether he can this year as well.
TREND TO TRACK
We mentioned the over trend a little earlier for Ohio State. Here's why and how that happens. The Buckeyes have gone at least +71 yards on the ground in all but one of their games since the duel against Virginia Tech last year. That one game came against an Indiana team which tried as it might to run the ball and did so successfully against the Buckeyes.
Here though, Virginia Tech is going to have some problems, which could cause it to become a one-dimensional offense. If that happens, that's how this game still ends up going over the total even if Ohio State is constantly running clock every time it snaps the football.
The NCAA football spread for this Monday game was first available at BookMaker Sportsbook, and the Ohio State Buckeyes surfaced as 14-point chalks. The total opened at 54. Minute-by-minute spreads, totals and props are available for this game using the live betting platform at BookMaker.
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! The contest between the Ohio State Buckeyes and Virginia Tech Hokies will start at 8:00 p.m. ET on Monday, September 7, 2015, at Lane Stadium. The matchup will be televised on ESPN.
