Colorado at Ohio State Spread
Written by Jack Jones - Google +
The Ohio State Buckeyes look to rebound from their first loss of the season Saturday, while the Colorado Buffaloes try to build off of their first win of the year. These teams collide at Ohio Stadium Saturday in a game that will be nationally televised on either ABC or ESPN 2 at 3:30 EST. This is a Pac-12 versus Big Ten showdown that is expected to go in the Buckeyes’ favor.
According to the week 4 college football odds, Ohio State is a 15-point home favorite with a total set of 44 points.
Ohio State
The Buckeyes are off to a shaky start under new head coach Luke Fickell. After crushing lowly Akron 42-0 in their opener, they survived a scare at home against Toledo in a 27-22 victory. The Rockets actually outgained the Buckeyes in that contest, and arguably should have won if not for so many self-inflicted wounds. Last week, they hit the road for the first time this season and it did not go well. Ohio State was beaten badly 24-6 by the Miami Hurricanes. The ‘Canes outgained the Buckeyes 363-209 for the game, and rushed for 240 yards in the victory. Ohio State was held to just 35 passing yards, and their four completions matched the program’s worst total for any game in the last 15 years.
Ohio State features one of the better defenses year in and year out. Despite a sloppy start as a team, they remain one of the nation’s elite defensively. The Buckeyes rank No. 14 in total defense (263.7 yards/game) and No. 28 in scoring defense (15.3 points/game). There’s no question that Ohio State has taken a step back offensively with the loss of Terrelle Pryor and company, and it has shown. The Buckeyes rank No. 80 in both scoring offense (25.0 points/game) and total offense (342.3 yards/game).
Joe Bauserman is completing just 50.0 percent of his passes for 365 yards and four touchdowns with no interceptions. Backup Braxton Miller came in for the final drive of the Miami game, and for the season he’s 10 of 16 (62.5 percent) for 152 yards with one touchdown and one pick. Carlos Hyde has beena bright spot for the offense, rushing for 223 yards and two touchdowns, while also catching six balls for 51 yards. Jake Stoneburner has a team-high eight receptions for 93 yards, including a whopping four touchdowns.
Colorado
The Buffaloes have been dealt a pretty tough schedule in the early going. They lost at Hawaii 34-17 in their opener, then suffered a heartbreaking overtime loss at home to California 33-36. Colorado got in the win column last week with a 28-14 victory over in-state foe, Colorado State. They outgained the Rams 360-243 for the game, and got a game-clinching touchdown run from QB Tyler Hansen with just over a minute to play.
Offensively, the Buffaloes rank No. 62 in the land in total offense (394.0 yards/game) and No. 75 in scoring offense (26.0 points/game). They have been pretty solid on defense, sitting No. 42 in the country in total defense (318.7 yards/game). Their red zone defense has not been great, which is a big reason why they rank No. 83 in scoring defense (28.0 points/game).
Tyler Hansen is having a very solid senior campaign, throwing for 912 yards on 55.0 percent completions with seven touchdowns and one interception. Rodney Stewart has rushed for 223 yards for the Buffaloes, though he’s averaging just 3.7 yards/carry. Stewart has done most of his damage in the passing game, catching 18 balls for 277 yards (15.4/reception). Colorado has a stud receiver in Paul Richardson, who has caught 18 balls for 360 yards (20.0/reception) with four touchdowns.
Betting Trends
The Buffaloes are just 8-21 ATS in their last 29 road games overall. It’s been like night and day for this team in terms of home/away success. Worse yet, Colorado is 7-22 ATS in their last 29 games as a road underdog.
While the Buffaloes have struggled in the role of the road dog, the Buckeyes have thrived as a home favorite. Ohio State is 14-2 ATS in their last 16 games as home chalk. The Buckeyes are 50-22-1 ATS in their last 73 games overall, and 45-18-1 ATS in their last 64 games as a favorite.
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