The No. 1 team in the land and defending national champions open the season against the team that nearly made the title impossible. Ohio State was caught in a bad place last year and was embarrassed in the Horseshoe. Don’t expect that to happen this season. The Buckeyes visit Virginia Tech on Monday with revenge on their mind when the teams open their season on ESPN.
ODDS
There’s been an awful lot of movement on this line though the numbers now are similar to when they opened. Ohio State was pegged a 14-point favorite when the line first came out and that bounced all over the place with the No. 1 team’s rocky summer. After dropping as low as -9, the spread darted back to -14.5 where it currently stands. The total opened at 54 and has since fallen a point.
KEY MISMATCH
Ohio State Secondary against Virginia Tech Passing Game
The Buckeyes defensive backfield returns three of four starters from a year ago, including arguably the best safety duo in the country. Vonn Bell had six interceptions last season, with one coming against the Hokies. Team captain Tyvis Powell was the defensive MVP in the national championship game and had four picks. Cornerback Eli Apple stated 14 times last year and had one of his three interceptions against the Hokies. Ohio State’s loss last season to VT wasn’t a fault of the defense. The group surrendered just 199 passing yards and picked off Hokies’ quarterback Micheal Brewer two times. Brewer is back as the starter after struggling last year. He completed just 59.4 percent of his passes and tossed 15 picks. A weakened offensive line won’t help Brewer against a team that has revenge on its mind.
KEY STAT
232.0 – Ohio State running back Ezekiel Elliott caught everybody’s attention by averaging 232 rushing yards per game over the final three contests last season. And those weren’t cupcake games. The Buckeyes blasted Wisconsin in the Big Ten Championship then knocked off Alabama and Oregon in the playoff. Elliott was solid but not spectacular prior to those games, averaging 98.5 yards per game. Included was a season-low 32 yards against the Hokies.
BETTING ANGLE
Revenge can be a great motivator and Ohio State is revved up for this game. A shocking home loss to Virginia Tech last September seemed to take the Buckeyes out of the national championship picture, but coach Urban Meyer’s team proved that false. I don’t think Ohio State wants to wait and see what the committee says this time around. Instead a win in Blacksburg lines the Buckeyes up for a fairly easy path to 10-0 before meetings with Michigan State and Michigan to close the regular season. The 35-21 loss to the Hokies last season was particularly upsetting to quarterback J.T. Barrett, who completed just 9 of 29 attempts, was sacked seven times and had three interceptions. “There is a little nudge around here because they beat us, and really the way they beat us,” Meyer said. “Offensively right now there is a lot of distaste for the way that thing happened.”
ANALYSIS AND PREDICTION
There’s already trouble brewing in Buckeyes camp and the season has yet to start. The unanimous No. 1 pick in the preseason has the top talent in the land, the best coach and a friendly schedule after the opener. But a headache may be what decides the quarterback race, the top defensive player sits with a suspension and the receiving corps is so depleted former quarterback Braxton Miller likely gets a chance to catch some balls. Nobody said trying to repeat as national champs was going to be easy, but Ohio State will make it look that way. Elliott is a stud and his offensive line wins him the Heisman this year. Pick a quarterback between Barrett and Cardale Jones and you can’t go wrong. Just look at what they did last season. Ohio State has the best collection of talent and revenge is what they want in a big way against the Hokies. And they will get it.
Ohio State 31, Virginia Tech 17
The college football lines for this contest were first released by BookMaker and the Buckeyes were positioned as 14-point favorites with a total of 54. Gamble on the game between every commercial break with BookMaker’s live betting feature. Along with an adjusted in-game moneyline, you can wager on what will happen on the next play or how many points will be scored in the next quarter. Live betting is the most exciting way to play!
Access live betting lines from your mobile device or tablet at BookMaker Sportsbook! You can wager on sporting events as they unfold on television with BookMaker’s live betting platform. Real-time spreads, totals, props and moneyline odds are all available by clicking here so start betting with BookMaker today! The Ohio State Buckeyes and Virginia Tech Hokies square off on Monday, September 7, 2015, at 8 p.m. ET at Lane Stadium. The game will be televised nationally on ESPN.
