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COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — After gutsy wins over Penn State and Wisconsin, Ohio State enters a three-game stretch as massive favorites. It starts with a game at Rutgers, where the Buckeyes are expected to win big.
Last week’s 24-10 win over Wisconsin broke a three-game streak for the Buckeyes where they covered the spread. OSU’s spread fluctuated between 14 and 14.5 points and the bet result was either a loss or a push. The 2023 trend that hit again last Saturday was the under, the seventh time in eight OSU games the total went under.
This Saturday’s game in Piscataway, New Jersey, against the Scarlet Knights will be more a prediction of how many points the Buckeyes will win by and if they continue an impressive scoring streak.
Odds are from DraftKings Sportsbook. For a full explanation of how to read betting odds, click here.
Latest odds
Moneyline: Ohio State (-1050), Rutgers (+675)
Spread: Ohio State (-19, [-110]), Rutgers (+19, [-110])
Total: 42.5 points (Over & Under, -110)
Betting trends
- Ohio State has beaten Rutgers in all nine games they have played. In each game, the Buckeyes have scored at least 49 points and won by more than three touchdowns. Despite that, OSU has only covered in one of the last four games against Rutgers with 2022’s 49-10 win resulting in a push bet.
- The total of 42.5 is the lowest point total ever for an OSU-Rutgers game by more than 10 points. The over has hit in the last four games between the two with the Scarlet Knights averaging just under 11 points.
- After only scoring more than 10 points in one of the first five games against Ohio State, Rutgers has hit that amount in each of the last four games against the Buckeyes.
How the Buckeyes can cover
Even though Ohio State has not won its last two games by more than 14 points, its incredibly dominant history against Rutgers gives bettors reason to back a 20-point win.
Despite the possibility the offense will be missing receiver Emeka Egbuka for a fourth straight game, receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. and running back TreVeyon Henderson could once again be game wreckers against the Rutgers defense. Mix that with Ohio State’s top-tier defense and once again, the Buckeyes could keep up its history of easy wins over the Scarlet Knights.
How Rutgers can cover
This might be the most confident Rutgers has ever felt going into a game against the Buckeyes. The Scarlet Knights are unbeaten at home with key wins over Virginia Tech and Michigan State, putting them at 6-2.
Rutgers also boasts a top-15 scoring defense in college football and could easily cover 19 points against a Buckeyes offense that has had slow starts all season and is missing some key pieces. Despite the result of the game being an easy decision, the spread is among the toughest ones for a Buckeyes game this year.