The No. 10 Ohio State Buckeyes (3-1, 1-0 Big Ten) and Rutgers Scarlet Knights (3-1, 0-1) meet Saturday at SHI Stadium in Piscataway, N.J. Kickoff is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. ET. Below, we look at the Ohio State vs. Rutgers odds and lines, and make our expert college football picks, predictions and bets.
The Buckeyes fell to Oregon at home Sept. 11. The struggles of the defense and shaky play at quarterback were cause for concern. Head coach Ryan Day made the switch from QB C.J. Stroud to QB Kyle McCord for the Akron game, and they won 59-7. But it remains to be seen if the ship is righted.
The Scarlet Knights took their first loss of the season last Saturday, falling at Michigan but easily covering as 20-point underdogs in a 20-13 loss to move to 4-0 ATS. Rutgers has had surprising defense, allowing just 13.5 points per game (PPG) to rank seventh in the nation.
Rankings according to the AFCA Coaches Poll powered by USA TODAY Sports.
Ohio State at Rutgers odds, spread and lines
Odds provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated Thursday at 7:44 p.m. ET.
- Money line: Ohio State -650 (bet $650 to win $100) | Rutgers +440 (bet $100 to win $440)
- Against the spread (ATS): Ohio State -15.5 (-108) | Rutgers +15.5 (-112)
- Over/Under (O/U): 58.5 (O: -110 | U: -110)
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Ohio State at Rutgers odds, lines, picks and predictions
Prediction
Ohio State 34, Rutgers 24
Money line
Ohio State (-650) should be able to push past Rutgers in this road game, but hardly anything has been a certainty for this Buckeyes squad. Shaky tackling, mistakes and inconsistent quarterback play have plagued this very young Ohio State team.
You can’t risk six and a half times your return on this developing team.
AVOID.
Against the spread
RUTGERS +15.5 (-112) would have been an unfathomable pick in recent seasons, but that’s where we’re at with Ohio State right now. The Buckeyes are championship-caliber one minute, and high school-caliber the next. Eventually the mistakes will be in the rear-view mirror, but OSU will get a stern test on the road against a team which has covered all four of its outings to date.
Over/Under
UNDER 58.5 (-110) is worth a small-unit play here. Rutgers has played suffocating defense, including last weekend at Michigan.
Ohio State has the tools to blow the doors off of Rutgers, but the offense has made plenty of mistakes. The Buckeyes defense has struggled, but the Scarlet Knights aren’t much of a threat on offense, especially in the pass game.
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