It’s time to celebrate the start of the Ohio State football season with the christening of games in 2024 with the Buckeyes matchup with the Akron Zips in the ‘Shoe Saturday.
You’ll see — and probably have already — a thousand different predictions on what will happen on Saturday, and why should we be left out. Every year, every Ohio State football game, we ask each of our staff members to provide their predictions on what we’ll see during a Buckeye football Saturday and it’s that time again.
Can Akron keep it close? Can the Zips cover the spread? Is there a chance at all that Joe Moorhead leads his team to a cataclysmic upset in Week 1? Here’s what all of our writers say about what will happen with Ohio State vs. Akron.
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Phil Harrison
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We might see a little rust early on with Ohio State’s roster trying to figure out how to play together, but once it happens, there’s simply no way Akron can hang with the depth and talent on the Buckeyes’ roster. OSU wins, and wins big, giving plenty of depth players a chance to get into the game.
Score Prediction | Ohio State 63, Akron 10
Mark Russell
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In the past five seasons, Akron is a combined 7-47. The Zips simply do not have the talent to hang with most of the MAC, let alone a national championship contender in the Buckeyes. It should be a pretty easy day at the office for Ohio State in its season opener.
Score Prediction | Ohio State 63, Akron 3
Josh Keatley
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Akron isn’t a very good team and this is the perfect warmup for Ohio State. The thing to watch for is the Buckeye O-Line, because the Zips actually have some talent up from on defense. We might actually get a gauge on if the O-Line is decent without risking an L
Score Prediction | Ohio State 56, Akron 7
Nathan Beighle
The Buckeyes have the talent and the power in the trenches to dominant early. Expect the gas taken off the brakes later as they coast to an easy victory.
Score Prediction | Ohio State 56, Akron 7