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The Akron Zips and Ohio State Buckeyes open their 2024 NCAA football seasons Saturday at Ohio Stadium in Columbus. Kickoff is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. ET (CBS/Paramount+). Below, we analyze BetMGM Sportsbook’s lines around the Akron vs. Ohio State odds, and make our expert college football picks and predictions.
Akron enters this season looking to take a small step forward after a 2-10 campaign which included a 3-point win over FCS Morgan State, and a 4-point win over rival Kent State, a 1-win team. Other than that, the Zips campaign in 2023 was an unmitigated disaster.
The Zips appeared to show some promise in a 29-27 4OT loss at Indiana Sept. 23, 2023, a rare cover. But it ended up going 2-4-2 against the spread (ATS) in the final 8 games, scoring 14 or fewer points in 6 of those outings, all against unranked MAC teams.
The Buckeyes lost for a 3rd straight time to rival Michigan last season, keeping Ohio State out of the Big Ten Championship game and CFP. As such, coach Ryan Day and the Buckeyes faithful opened the purse strings significantly.
Ohio State brought in Chip Kelly to serve as the new offensive coordinator, looking to get this team operating like a well-oiled machine. Incoming transfer QB Will Howard will drive that machine, named as the starter last week, with QB Devin Brown backing him up. But 5-star prospect QB Julian Sayin is also in the mix, as are QB prospects Air Noland and Lincoln Kienholz, if things go sideways.
Kelly has a lot to work with, as productive RB Quinshon Judkins joins RB TreVeyon Henderson in a star-studded backfield, and 5-star freshman WR Jeremiah Smith looks to make a splash alongside incumbent stud WR Emeka Egbuka.
The defense might even be better, though, as DB Caleb Downs, another 5-star guy, transfers in from Alabama to bolster an already impressive unit.
Ohio State is No. 2 in the US LBM Coaches Poll — conducted by the American Football Coaches Association and USA TODAY Sports.
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Akron at Ohio State odds
Provided by BetMGM Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated Friday at 12:25 p.m. ET.
- Moneyline (ML): Off the board (OTB)
- Against the spread: Akron +48.5 (-110) | Ohio State -48.5 (-110)
- Over/Under (O/U): 57.5 (O: -105 | U: -115)
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Akron at Ohio State picks and predictions
Prediction
Ohio State 52, Akron 3
Moneyline
There was no moneyline at the time of publishing, but it wouldn’t be worth pursuing even if one is released before kickoff.
Against the spread
Play OHIO STATE -48.5 (-110) lightly, as this is a giant number. It’s actually come down from as high as -50.5. Go with a half-unit play at most.
Expecting Akron +48.5 (-110) to score anything is rather ambitious. The Zips were atrocious last season, and things don’t look terribly promising heading into the new campaign.
On the flip side, the Buckeyes will have one of the best defenses in the nation, and even the 2nd- and 3rd-string players are heads and tails better than Akron.
Still, that’s a win by more than 7 TDs. That’s a huge number, and even Day tends to call off the dogs when things get out of hand against an overmatched opponent.
Over/Under
The UNDER 57.5 (-115) is the play, but the concern is Ohio State doing all of the scoring and still cashing high.
Ohio State has a 5-star quarterback — at third-string! So, even when the starters exit the game, which is likely to be early in the 2nd half with the game out of hand, the foot will likely still be squarely on the gas.
It’s hard to imagine Akron having much of a part in spoiling an Under play, but it’s not hard to envision Ohio State going for a 60-burger anyway. Be careful.
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For more sports betting picks and tips, check out SportsbookWire.com and BetFTW.
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