The Rutgers Scarlet Knights lost their first game of the season, 20-13, on the road in Michigan where they were nearly 21 point underdogs. Now, they will now welcome the Ohio State Buckeyes to Shi Stadium on October 2.
The Ohio State Buckeyes are also 3-1 along with Rutgers but haven’t exactly looked all that great this season. The Buckeyes lost their lone ranked matchup against Oregon and have allowed a solid number of points on defense in three of their four games.
With Ohio State unclear about its quarterback situation, can Rutgers find a way to win at home? Our picks and predictions for the Ohio State vs. Rutgers game are below.
Ohio State vs Rutgers odds
Odds via the Covers Line, an average comprised of odds from multiple sportsbooks.
Ohio State opened as a 16.5-point favorite and has now dipped to -15.5 with the uncertainty of who Ohio State will start at quarterback. However, the total increased from 56.5 to 58 with some outlets giving out a 58.5 number. Use the live odds widget above to track any future line movements right up until kickoff and be sure to check out the full college football odds before placing your bets.
Ohio State vs Rutgers picks
Picks made on 9/29/2021 at 9:30 a.m. ET.
Click on each pick to jump to the full analysis.
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Ohio State vs Rutgers game info
• Location: SHI Stadium, Piscataway, NJ
• Date: Saturday, October 2, 2021
• Time: 3:30 p.m. ET
• TV: Big Ten Network
Ohio State vs Rutgers betting preview
Weather
Be sure to monitor the gametime conditions with our NCAA football weather info.
Key injuries
Ohio State: CJ Stroud QB (Probable), Harry Miller OL (Questionable), Marcus Crowley RB (Questionable).
Rutgers: Chris Long DB (Doubtful), Max Melton DB (Doubtful).
Find our latest NCAA football injury reports.
Betting trend to know
Scarlet Knights are 6-0 ATS in their last 6 games after scoring less than 20 points in their previous game. Find more NCAA betting trends for Ohio State vs. Rutgers.
Ohio State vs Rutgers predictions
Rutgers +15.5 (-110)
The Rutgers Scarlet Knights are 4-0 against the spread to start the season. You know what they say: Good teams win but great teams cover. Rutgers has been great to start the season, especially on defense.
Rutgers’ defense has held opponents to just 262.8 yards per game along with just 150 yards per game in the air. The defense was absolutely torched to start against Michigan but with the offense staying out on the field, Michigan offense went a bit cold and allowed Rutgers’ defense to get some stops.
The Scarlet Knights haven’t been amazing offensively but still average 34 points per game. Noah Vedral is a game manager and will not dominate you with his arm. He takes care of the football and really does a great job with the game plan every night.
On the flip side, Ohio State believes starting quarterback CJ Stroud will be ready for this game against Rutgers. Stroud missed last week’s game against Akron due to injury but is probable for this one.
Stroud has thrown for 963 yards along with eight touchdowns and three interceptions. He’s earned criticism from Ohio State fans due to his lack of mobility. He’s not great at running away from pressure and chooses to throw the ball when the best option is to run.
Stroud will continue to earn plenty of yards per game but just needs to finish drives. Against Oregon, in its only loss of the season, Ohio State gained over 500 yards and only had scored 14 points up to that moment. That can’t happen in the Big Ten or in college football.
Defensively, Ohio State has allowed 23.3 points per game along with 410.8 yards per game. Teams can gain yardage on this defense, as it's an above-average group but aren’t elite at anything.
Rutgers did a great job keeping Michigan in front on the defensive end last week. If they limit the big play, Rutgers will hang around until the buzzer sounds.
Under 58 (-110)
Let’s not underestimate this Rutgers defense. Michigan came into this game as nearly 21-point favorites and everyone talked about how Rutgers would get run over by this new and improved Michigan offense. That just didn’t happen.
If Rutgers scores, it is on long drives, not due to a big play down the field. The offense, and especially the offensive line, isn’t built for any of that.
Plus, the Scarlet Knights will look to keep Ohio State in front of them and force the Buckeyes to convert on long drives themselves.
It would be hard to reach the Over in this game with the way Rutgers plays on both sides of the ball. While Ohio State has allowed over 23 points per game, the defense is much better than that and has played better than that.
Grab the Under in this matchup.
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