College Football Game Odds | Western Michigan vs Ohio State | The Ohio State Buckeyes took care of business in Week 1, rolling over the Akron Zips by the score of 52-6.
The game was in hand so quickly that 70 different Buckeyes took the field. That included 27 different players on offense, 32 different players on defense, and 11 players who hadn’t appeared on either side of the ball taking the field on special teams only.
The only player to see every offensive snap was left guard Austin Siereveld, who started the game in place of Donovan Jackson and remained out there with the second-team O-line.
The starting offense did play into the fourth quarter after only notching 17 points in the first half, but they took care of business after the intermission.
Next up for the team’s second-ranked team is a visit from Western Michigan. The Buckeyes enter as huge sports betting favorites, but can they cover?
Read on to get our perspective.
College Football Game Odds: Western Michigan vs Ohio State | Top NCAAF Games to Bet On
When: Saturday, September 7, 2024, 7:30 pm ET
Where: Ohio Stadium, Columbus, OH
TV: Big Ten Network
Live Stream: ESPN+
NCAAF Opening Lines subject to Change: Ohio State -38 / O/U 54
Western Michigan Broncos
Western Michigan faces two Big Ten opponents in Weeks 1 and 2 as they spent their opener at Camp Randall, where they fell to Wisconsin, 28-14.
However, they were only down by three at halftime. Hayden Wolff went 12 of 18 for 141 yards and an interception, but the defense kept things interesting.
Tailback Jalen Buckley ran the ball 16 times for 64 yards and a pair of scores.
The Broncos’ offense is run-first with a controlled passing game. Buckley ran for 1,003 yards in his freshman season, and the offense mounted a 16-play, 78-yard touchdown drive that lasted over seven minutes against Wisconsin.
The Badgers are normally a grinding defensive team that wins battles in the trenches, which shows us Western Michigan’s toughness.
It will be tough for the Broncos to sustain similar drives against a better Ohio State defense, though.
^Ohio State Buckeyes
The second half of the Buckeyes’ win over Akron showed us what they can do when the offense gets humming.
Will Howard went 17 of 28 on the day for 228 yards and three scores. Howard started with four straight incompletions, but then he found his rhythm, and two of his touchdown passes went to highly touted freshman receiver Jeremiah Smith.
The O-line also kept Howard from being sacked. Tailback TreVeyon Henderson had 65 yards on just eight carries, and Quinshon Judkins had 55 yards and a score in 13 attempts.
On defense, Ohio State notched five sacks and ten tackles for loss against Akron. They also forced three turnovers, including a scoop-and-score on a fumble recovery and two interceptions, one of which turned into a pick-six.
Jack Sawyer and J.T. Tuimoloau key the pass rush, and if they can keep the heat on Broncos quarterback Hayden Wolff, then the Buckeyes’ defense should see a lot of three-and-outs.
The weather this time around will be at least ten degrees cooler, and the humidity that greeted the team in Week 1 is not expected to return.
The Buckeyes need their starters to click early so that the reserves can take over more of the game.
^Western Michigan vs Ohio State Final Score and Prediction
I expect the Buckeyes to play two halves like they played the second half last week.
While Western Michigan will bring a lot of effort, the talent difference is just too great – even the gap between Wisconsin and Ohio State is sizable, so bringing in a MAC team should mean light work.
I predict a final score of Ohio State 48, Western Michigan 7.
^What @_Pat_Murphy saw Upon Further Review from #OhioState's win against Western Michigan. https://t.co/dQdVA136iI pic.twitter.com/YruIs5PfEw
— Bucknuts (@Bucknuts247) September 11, 2024
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College Football Game Odds: Western Michigan vs Ohio State
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