The No. 1 ranked Buckeyes will head to Blacksburg Labor Day night looking to make good on the lone blemish incurred against the Hokies last season even though they still went on to win the program’s eighth national title.
ODDS
Top ranked Ohio State opened as decided 14-point road chalk with the game total lined at 54. Virginia Tech saw some buyback earlier this week dropping the line down to -11 at one point, but it’s been all Ohio State since with the number expanding back to the initial two touchdown spread.
The total dropped a point to where it currently sits at 53.
KEY MISMATCH
The Hokies caught the Buckeyes off guard last season after Virginia Tech defensive coordinator Bud Foster unveiled his brand new “Bear Cover Zero” scheme which loaded the box and forced a then inexperienced J.T Barrett and offensive line to deal with more pressure than prepared for.
The gamble paid off in a big way as Ohio State rushed for a grand total of 108 yards and averaged just 2.7 yards per carry. Barrett’s green receiver corps didn’t help matters either with him completing just 9-of-29 passes for a paltry 219 yards with three interceptions thrown.
Due to the embarrassment, Urban Meyer and his staff have publicly come out and stated they’ve put more time into preparing for this matchup than any other regular season game in the past.
Along with Meyer devising what he calls “Bear Beaters” to combat VTECH this time around, the Buckeyes as a whole are completely locked in and have 100 percent of their attention locked in on the Hokies after overlooking them last season due to preparing for Navy’s triple-option attack the week before.
KEY STAT
The Hokies played to low scorers in eight of their final 11 games played last season. While Bud Foster’s defense played a large role in keeping the combined scores down, so did Virginia Tech’s impotent offense which averaged just 365.3 total yards per game to rank No. 99 a short season ago.
With so many weapons at their disposal, the Buckeyes will eventually find a way to put some points on the board; especially once VT’s defense tires.
If Michael Brewer and the Hokies offense get outgained like it did last year – 327-324 – even though OSU was working with a much more inexperienced unit than it is now, this one could get ugly quick.
BETTING ANGLE
Frank Beamer has excelled in the home underdog role in going 7-1 against the spread the last eight times. The Hokies won five of those games outright, and they’ll no doubt take to the gridiron pissed knowing full well they haven’t gone off the betting board as double-digit home dogs since 2001.
However, the Hokies have matched up against the No. 1 team in the country eight previous times and fell in defeat each time with seven coming by way of double-digits.
ANALYSIS AND PREDICTION
Joey Bosa and a couple of integral receiving pieces will not suit up for this game. Cardale Jones was rushed to the hospital for headaches late last week. Virginia Tech has an excellent defense like it always does under Foster’s watch.
Even with most of the advantages, including hosting this game, the Buckeyes have remained prohibitive 14-point road chalk with 74% of the betting public along for the ride away from the Horseshoe.
With Heisman Trophy frontrunner Ezekiel Elliott +500 looking to build off his 1,878 yard campaign and Braxton Miller being converted to wide receiver to help in that depleted area, the Buckeyes simply have too much over the course of a full game for the home team to contend with.
Should the Hokies manage to snag an early lead, I highly recommend logging in to your BookMaker account and getting a better price on the visiting Buckeyes in live betting. I don’t foresee the defending champs winning this game by anything less than 10 points.
Buckeyes 38 Hokies 17
BookMaker opened the spread for this game at -14 in favor of the Buckeyes. The NCAA lines total surfaced at 54. Now you can wager in-game while the action unfolds with BookMaker's live betting option.
Load your betting bankroll from your smartphone or tablet with BookMaker’s new cashier feature! Depositing and withdrawing funds from your account has never been easier. BookMaker's live betting platform means you always have access to odds and lines to every sporting event. Click here and start wagering today! The matchup between the Ohio State Buckeyes and Virginia Tech Hokies will take place Monday, September 7, 2015, at 8 p.m. ET at Lane Stadium. The game will be televised nationally on ESPN.
