The No. 3 Ohio State Buckeyes (1-0) host the No. 11 Oregon Ducks (1-0) Saturday at Ohio Stadium for a Big Ten-Pac-12 showdown with the kickoff scheduled for noon ET. Below, we look at the Oregon vs. Ohio State odds and lines, and make our expert college football picks, predictions and bets.
Rankings according to the AFCA Coaches Poll powered by USA TODAY Sports.
Ohio State rallied back from a 4-point halftime deficit to beat Minnesota 45-31 last week and pushed as a 14-point road favorite. Buckeyes first-year QB C.J. Stroud completed 13 of 22 passes for 294 yards with 4 touchdowns to 1 interception and a 222.3 QB Rating in his first career start.
Oregon grounded out a 31-24 victory at home against Fresno State but failed to cover as a 17.5-point favorite. The Ducks averaged just 3.8 yards per carry and added only 172 passing yards but were bailed out with a plus-2 turnover differential.
Oregon at Ohio State odds, spread and lines
Odds provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated Friday at 9:40 a.m. ET.
- Money line: Oregon +470 (bet $100 to win $470) | Ohio State -700 (bet $700 to win $100)
- Against the spread (ATS): Oregon +14.5 (-110) | Ohio State -14.5 (-110)
- Over/Under (O/U): 63.5 (O: -108 | U: -112)
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Oregon at Ohio State odds, lines, picks and predictions
Prediction
Ohio State 41, Oregon 21
Money line
PASS because Ohio State (-700) is the right side but you should never risk seven times your potential return when betting college or professional football. The Buckeyes’ money line is even too expensive to include in a parlay.
Against the spread
“LEAN” to OHIO STATE -14.5 (-110) for a half unit only because we are getting to the party a little late as both the pros and Joes steamed the Buckeyes up from a 13.5-point favorite, past the key number of 14 and to the listed price. However, Ohio State looked much better last week against a tougher opponent than Oregon.
The Buckeyes went on the road to beat a conference foe in Minnesota who was projected by Football Outsiders to be the 32nd-ranked team. While Oregon eked past a Group of Five Fresno State at home and fell 10.5 points short of covering the spread.
It’s understandable that Ohio State would struggle out of the gate considering the Buckeyes returned only 13 starters from last year’s team. Ohio State eventually got it together and outgained Minnesota 10.3-5.4 in yards per play.
On the other hand, Oregon couldn’t put away a Fresno State team that had no business keeping it close. Oregon was beat by Fresno State 5.1-4.9 in yards per play.
Lastly, Ohio State has a massive schedule edge over Oregon in this spot. The Buckeyes have two extra days to prep against the Ducks who have to play in an early eastern time zone start.
Over/Under
“LEAN” to the UNDER 63.5 (-112) for a half unit because roughly 90% of the action is on the Over, which caused oddsmakers to move this total up from the 62-point opener. My natural instinct when handicapping football is to fade such one-sided betting markets.
Also, each team is stacked with pro prospects on both sides of the ball, but the defenses have the edge since both programs are starting new quarterbacks. I could see Oregon slowing the game down on offense in hopes of keeping the much more explosive Ohio State offense on the sidelines.
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