Western Michigan at Ohio State odds, picks and predictions

Analyzing Saturday’s Western Michigan at Ohio State odds and lines, with college football expert picks, predictions and best bets.

[gambcom-standard rankid=”3011″ ]

The Western Michigan Broncos (0-1) and Ohio State Buckeyes (1-0) meet at Ohio Stadium on Saturday. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET (Big Ten Network). Below, we analyze FanDuel Sportsbook’s lines around the Western Michigan vs. Ohio State odds, and make our expert college football picks and predictions.

Western Michigan offered surprisingly stiff resistance in the opener at the Wisconsin Badgers last Friday. After a scoreless 1st quarter, the Broncos trailed just 10-7 at the break. Western Michigan actually took a 14-13 lead with 14:15 to go in the 4th quarter before the Badgers stormed back for 2 TD runs to put a bow on the scoring.

Still, WMU had 120 rushing yards on the road against a Big Ten foe, while posting 141 yards through the air. The Broncos and Badgers each had 1 sack apiece, and Western was minus-1 in turnover differential.

For Ohio State, it faced a MAC opponent, too, and it got off to a sluggish start. Lowly Akron actually led 3-0 midway through the 1st quarter, and Ohio State led only 10-3 until late in the 2nd quarter. Then, the Buckeyes poured it on, battering the Zips for a 52-6 win. Akron covered as 49-point ‘dogs, however.

New Buckeyes QB Will Howard, who transferred in from Kansas State, threw 3 TDs in his debut, with 2 going to 5-star true freshman WR Jeremiah Smith.

Ohio State is No. 2 in the US LBM Coaches Poll,  conducted by the American Football Coaches Association and USA TODAY Sports.

Stream select live college football games and full replays: Get ESPN+

Western Michigan at Ohio State odds

Provided by FanDuel Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated Friday at 7:19 p.m. ET.

  • Moneyline (ML): Off the board
  • Against the spread (ATS): Western Michigan +37.5 (-105) | Ohio State -37.5 (-115)
  • Over/Under (O/U): 54.5 (O: -115 | U: -105)

[gambcom-standard rankid=”3012″ ]

Western Michigan at Ohio State picks and predictions

Prediction

Ohio State 41, Western Michigan 17

Moneyline

There was no money line at the time of publishing, but it wouldn’t be worth pursuing even if one is released before kickoff.

Against the spread

Back WESTERN MICHIGAN +37.5 (-105) with the points, as the Broncos were impressive enough at Wisconsin last week, and they shouldn’t be fazed about playing at The Horseshoe against a top-tier team.

Ohio State -37.5 (-115) has an embarrassment of riches at a multitude of positions, going 3- and 4-deep at some positions. However, chemistry is an issue, and the team is still working through some of that. Until the Buckeyes mesh and get on the same page for 60 full minutes, back the big underdogs, when applicable.

Over/Under

The OVER 54.5 (-115) is the lean, but go with a half-unit play at most here.

We’re banking on the Broncos have a modicum of success, especially early on. The Buckeyes will move the ball well, and that defense is stout. But Akron had some splash plays, and Western should, too.

It might take a late 4th-quarter score like last week to flip the total to Over, though, so be cognizant of that, and don’t get too carried away.

Play our free daily Pick’em Challenge and win! Play now!

[gambcom-standard rankid=”5″ ]

For more sports betting picks and tips, check out SportsbookWire.com and BetFTW.

Follow Kevin J. Erickson on Twitter/X. Follow SportsbookWire on Twitter/X and like us on Facebook.

College sports coverage from USA TODAY Sports Media Group:
Alabama / Arkansas / Auburn / Clemson / Colorado / DukeFlorida / Florida StateGeorgia / Iowa / KentuckyLSU / Michigan / Michigan State / Nebraska / North Carolina / Notre Dame / Ohio State / Oklahoma / Oregon / Penn State / Rutgers / Tennessee / Texas / Texas A&M / UCLA / USC / WashingtonWisconsin / Recruiting / Transfer portal / College Football Playoffs / College Sports Wire / High School

[lawrence-newsletter]

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=1622]

First look: Western Michigan at Ohio State odds and lines

Looking at Saturday’s Western Michigan at Ohio State college football odds, lines and trends. Here’s what you need to know.

[gambcom-standard rankid=”3011″ ]

The Western Michigan Broncos (0-1) and the Ohio State Buckeyes (1-0) meet Saturday at Ohio Stadium in Columbus. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET (Big Ten Network). Below, we look at Western Michigan vs. Ohio State odds from FanDuel Sportsbook before making our expert college football picks and predictions later in the week.

The Broncos hung with the Wisconsin Badgers in Friday’s opener at Camp Randall Stadium. After a scoreless 1st quarter, Western Michigan was down just 10-7 at half, and 13-7 going into the 4th quarter. It actually took the lead 14-13, but a Badgers TD and 2-point conversion at 10:35 gave the home side the lead for good. Wisconsin won 28-14, but Western covered (+24) as the Under (57) comfortably connected.

On Saturday afternoon, the Buckeyes actually fell behind 3-0 midway through the 1st quarter against Akron, and they led just 7-3 after the 1st quarter. True freshman and 5-star recruit WR Jeremiah Smith had the 2nd of his 2 TD grabs in the 1st half to give the Bucks a 17-3 lead at the break. Portal add QB Will Howard tossed 3 TDs on the day.

In the 2nd half, it was all Buckeyes, as portal add RB Quinshod Judkins scored his 1st Ohio State TD, and Ohio State rolled to a 52-6 victory, but it just missed the cover (-49). Depending upon when you placed your bet, it was either an Over or Under result. It closed at 56.5, so we’ll call it an Over.

Ohio State is No. 2 in the US LBM Coaches Poll — conducted by the American Football Coaches Association and USA TODAY Sports.

Stream select live college football games and full replays: Get ESPN+

Western Michigan at Ohio State odds

Provided by FanDuel Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated Sunday at 3:49 p.m. ET.

  • Moneyline (ML): Off the board
  • Against the spread (ATS): Western Michigan +38.5 (-112) | Ohio State -38.5 (-108)
  • Over/Under (O/U): 53.5 (O: -110 | U: -110)

[gambcom-standard rankid=”3012″ ]

2024 betting stats

  • ML: Western Michigan 0-1 | Ohio State 1-0
  • ATS: Western Michigan 1-0 | Ohio State 0-1
  • O/U: Western Michigan 0-1 | Ohio State 1-0

Western Michigan vs. Ohio State head-to-head

This is just the 2nd meeting between these institutions on the gridiron. Ohio State won the 1st meeting 38-12 on Sept. 26, 2015.

Ohio State has never lost to a team from the Mid-American Conference (MAC). The MAC didn’t exist when Akron, then known as Buchtel College, defeated the Buckeyes at the Ohio State Fairgrounds in 1894. So, officially, teams in the MAC right now, are 1-36 against Ohio State all-time, but that lone win pre-dates the existence of the conference.

[gambcom-standard rankid=”5″ ]

Are you counting the days to NFL Week 1 or the kickoff of college football? You can fill the time at the best online casino in your state and play blackjack, roulette, slots, video poker and more.

For more sports betting picks and tips, check out SportsbookWire.com and BetFTW.

Follow Kevin J. Erickson on Twitter/X. Follow SportsbookWire on Twitter/X and like us on Facebook.

College sports coverage from USA TODAY Sports Media Group:
Alabama / Arkansas / Auburn / Clemson / Colorado / DukeFlorida / Florida StateGeorgia / Iowa / KentuckyLSU / Michigan / Michigan State / Nebraska / North Carolina / Notre Dame / Ohio State / Oklahoma / Oregon / Penn State / Rutgers / Tennessee / Texas / Texas A&M / UCLA / USC / WashingtonWisconsin / Recruiting / Transfer portal / College Football Playoffs / College Sports Wire / High School

[lawrence-newsletter]

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=1622]