Marshall at Ohio State
Written by Steve Janus - Google +
The 2010 college football season is set to get underway this Thursday, and one of the more interesting matchups is the Marshall Thundering Herd at the No.2 Ohio State Buckeyes. The Thundering Herd showed some nice improvements in 2009 finishing 7-6 and have 14 starters back, but go up against a powerful Ohio State team that has 15 starters back and one of the best players in the country in quarterback Terrelle Pryor. If you are interested in betting on the game this weekend, BetUS currently has the Buckeyes 28.5 point favorites over the Thundering Herd, so you can see right away that the oddsmakers are all over the Buckeyes to win this one.
The Buckeyes appear to have the edge in just about every category of the game, but winning by over four touchdowns is never an easy task, especially if the Buckeyes struggle to get going early. I look for Pryor to get off to a great start, as the Thundering Herd will have a hard time containing the speedy quarterback, but what I really want to see is Pryor build off his performance against Oregon in the Rose Bowl as a passer. If Pryor shows that he has improved that part of his game, the Buckeyes will have a great shot at running the table and playing for the National Championship.
I believe Marshall has to try and force Pryor into throwing the ball early and often by stacking the box and trying to do whatever it can to keep the running game in check. If the Thundering Herd allow Pryor to beat them with his legs, they are in for a long day. I will also be looking to see how the Buckeyes defense plays in the opener, as they have just six starters back from last season, but plenty of talent ready to step in and make an impact. If the defense comes out and shut downs the Thundering Herd, the Buckeyes could open a huge lead by halftime in this one.
Looking at the Odds: The Buckeyes were 22 point favorites against a pretty good Navy team to start the 2009 season, and won the game by just four points, so taking the Buckeyes to cover 28.5 is a tough call. I still think a lot of things will have to go right for the Thundering Herd to cover in this one, but playing the Buckeyes in week 1 will be much easier than playing them later in the season. The only thing that scares me about the taking the Buckeyes in this one is they could throw the scrubs in late and allow the Thundering Herd to sneak out a last second cover.
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