The Rutgers Scarlet Knights head to Columbus on Saturday to take on the Ohio State Buckeyes in Week 5 of NCAA football action.
The Buckeyes have been steamrolling opponents and enter as the No. 3 team in the country. Oddsmakers aren't expecting the Scarlet Knights to put up much of a fight with college football betting odds hitting the board with OSU as a 40.5-point home favorite for this Big Ten clash.
With such a massive spread, I let you know where I'm putting my money with my best free college football picks and predictions for Rutgers vs. Ohio State.
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Rutgers vs Ohio State best odds
Rutgers vs Ohio State picks and predictions
Iowa has a pretty pathetic offense this season but it still says a lot about this Rutgers defense that it held the Hawkeyes to 277 yards last week and that 14 of their 27 points came from defensive touchdowns.
The Scarlet Knights are 16th in the nation in yards allowed per play (4.4) and have talent at every level. Aaron Lewis and Wesley Bailey bring pressure off the edge while Deion Jennings and Tyreem Powell are a productive pair of linebackers. In their secondary, sophomore Shaquan Loyal is emerging as an impact player alongside top corner Max Melton and tackling-machine safety Christian Izen.
Are those guys good enough to contain this dominant Ohio State attack? Of course not, but they should do their part to at least slow the Buckeyes down a little bit in the early going. Unfortunately, their offense isn't likely to put up points either.
There's a reason that Rutgers coach Greg Schiano hadn't decided on a starting quarterback entering this season and they managed a pathetic 206 yards of offense against lowly Temple in Week 3. Now they face a Buckeyes stop unit that held Wisconsin to just 132 yards before taking their foot off the pedal in the fourth quarter.
Ohio State hasn't gotten the kind of production they expected from five-star defensive ends like Zach Harrison and J.T. Tuimoloau but they're still loaded with talent on the edge and tackle Mike Hall Jr. gets immense pressure up the middle. They will abuse an awful Rutgers offensive line that ranks 114th in the nation in pass block rating, according to PFF.
I'm expecting the Scarlets Knights' offense to get shut down in the early going while their defense does a decent enough job to keep this first-half total Under 34.
My best bet: First-half Under 34 (-115 at DraftKings)
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Rutgers vs Ohio State spread analysis
Ohio State beat Notre Dame 21-10 in its season opener and has been throttling foes ever since. The Buckeyes are coming off a beatdown of the Wisconsin Badgers, where they easily covered the spread as 19-point faves and led 45-7 after three quarters.
Wisconsin's star sophomore Braelon Allen had a 75-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter but with the exception of that late breakdown, Ohio State's defense looked very good, limiting the Badgers to 104 yards through the air.
Their offense was once against unstoppable with Heisman favorite C.J. Stroud throwing for 281 yards and five scores while TreVeyon Henderson and Miyan Williams both rushed for over 100 yards. The Buckeyes lead the nation in yards per play (8.2) while their defense ranks 21st in yards allowed per play (4.6).
Rutgers opened its season with a hard-fought 22-21 road win against Boston College and after destroying tiny Wagner College at home, pulled off another close road win in Week 3 — this time against the Temple Owls.
The Scarlet Knights played their first conference game of the season last week and scored just a single touchdown in a 27-10 home loss to the Hawkeyes. Evan Simon appears to have emerged as the Knights' best option at quarterback and threw for 300 yards in the loss — more than the 266 total yards he had thrown in his previous three starts.
That said, Simons also had two costly turnovers and the Knights' offense looks atrocious just like last season when they finished 124th in the FBS in yards per play (4.2). They are 110th in the country with 4.4 yards per play this year and with Big Ten play just beginning, that number could get even worse.
Rutgers vs Ohio State Over/Under analysis
With an offense that has been ugly for years and a stop unit that has been somewhat competitive, the Scarlet Knights have been very profitable for Under bettors. The Under has gone 9-4 in their last 13 conference games while going 22-7 in their previous 29 contests on the road.
That said, the Over is 10-4-1 in Ohio State's last 15 conference contests and four of the last five meetings between these programs have also gone Over the total.
With a balanced and explosive group of playmakers behind a strong offensive line, the Buckeyes are able to move the ball against anyone. While they were limited to 21 points in their season opener against Notre Dame, they still managed 395 yards in that contest and they've scored at least 45 points in their last three games.
Rolling up 539 yards and dropping 52 points against a strong Wisconsin defense last week showed just how tough they are to slow down.
Rutgers vs Ohio State betting trend to know
The Under is 22-7 in the Scarlet Knights' last 29 road games. Find more NCAA betting trends for Rutgers vs. Ohio State.
Rutgers vs Ohio State game info
| Location: | Ohio Stadium, Columbus, OH |
| Date: | Saturday, October 1, 2022 |
| Kickoff: | 3:30 p.m. ET |
| TV: | Big Ten Network |
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