Fans of the Buckeyes will be waiting with bated breath to see what Urban Meyer has in store for an encore after he bludgeoned the team that gave him his first head coaching job 77-10 last week. Unfortunately for the up and coming Tulsa Golden Hurricane, their up next on the Week 2 docket for an Ohio State Buckeyes squad looking to score style points before next week’s big tilt with the Sooners.
This contest in Week 2 of the regular season will go down Saturday, September 10, 2016, at 3:30 p.m. ET at Ohio Stadium.
College Football Odds at BookMaker.eu
Tulsa +29
Ohio State -29
Over/Under 72.5
Odds Analysis
After the Buckeyes dropped 77 points on the Falcons to surpass the closing total all by themselves, it’s hardly shocking to see money flooding in on the over since it opened at 70. It now checks in at 72.5. With the Golden Hurricane possessing a potent offensive attack that should be able to put points on the board in garbage time, it’s likely the total climbs even higher closer to game time.
Ohio State initially opened up as 27 point home chalks versus Tulsa. Better than 86 percent of the money has come in on the home team, so naturally, the pointspread has gone north. It’s currently sits at -29 but it wouldn’t be surprising in the least if it surpasses 30 with every square in the book jumping on the Buckeyes.
Matchup to Watch
The Buckeyes return just three starters from last year’s dominating defense that allowed just 15.1 points per game – good for the nation’s No. 2 ranking. Joey Bosa and Adolphus Washington are no longer harassing opposing quarterbacks. While there is some solid talent at hand up front in Sam Hubbard and Tyquan Lewis, the secondary must lock down the Golden Hurricane receivers for the Buckeyes to have any shot of covering this hefty offering.
Bowling Green looked clueless last week with many newcomers getting their first taste within the system. That’s far from the case with Tulsa who has an experienced quarterback in Dane Evans, lightning rod receivers in Keevan Lucas and Josh Atkinson, and a heck of a running back in D’Angelo Brewer who gouged San Jose State for 164 yards and three touchdowns.
Ohio State is no doubt going to get theirs against an overmatched Tulsa defense , but it will be up to the Buckeyes back seven to limit what the Golden Hurricane will try to do if in fact it’s going to cruise to yet another run away home win and cover.
Look-Ahead Situation
Make no mistake about it. The Buckeyes are an extremely young team. However, they’re lightning quick and uber talented. It’s only a matter of time until Meyer molds them into the killing machines of former Silver Bullet editions.
That said, it’s going to be awfully tough for these kids to not look forward to next week’s tilt in Norman regardless of the Sooners getting ousted opening week by Houston. That could bode well for those taking the points in this one with the Buckeyes attention possibly being turned towards Boomer Sooner should they build a large enough lead in the second half. Backdoor anyone?
Free ATS Pick
You get dizzy watching what the Buckeyes did to the Falcons. So much speed! J.T. Barrett is likely in line for another huge showing in this one as he looks to build off his spectacular 349 yard and six touchdown effort after throwing a pick-six on the Buckeyes very first drive. All the offense did soon after was rack up a school-record 776 total yards of offense and paste their first victim by 67 points. They’re going to post another lofty point total in this one as well, and there won’t be a darn thing Tulsa’s defense will be able to do about it either.
Tulsa will be an excellent test for a green Ohio State defense to run up against going into the Oklahoma game. Evans will have the unit under control and ready for what’s to come with a number of these guys having already experienced playing Oklahoma in Norman, and Virginia Tech in last year’s Independence Bowl; a game they covered as 14 point underdogs but lost 55-52.
Last week’s 45-10 trouncing of the Spartans snapped a string of five straight over cashes dating back to last season. While Ohio State has cashed under tickets in six of its last 10 home games, the type of defense that took the field in those games isn’t lining up in this one. Look for the scoreboard operators to earn their paychecks Saturday afternoon.
College Football Odds: Ohio State 55, Tulsa 34
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