Toledo at Ohio State Spread

Written by Jack Jones

The Ohio State Buckeyes play host to the Toledo Rockets on Saturday. Both teams enter with 1-0 records, but almost every factor in this matchup favors the Buckeyes. This is just the third meeting between the two teams all-time, with Ohio State, not surprisingly, winning both of those games. As of today oddsmakers list Ohio State as a 19.5-point favorite, but there’s a chance that line could shoot up before game time, so if you like the Buckeyes get your bet in as soon as possible.

Based on last week’s performance it’s easy to forget the turmoil that has plagued the Ohio State program leading into the season. The Buckeyes rolled to a 42-0 victory over a clearly over-matched Akron team that managed just 90 total yards of offense. Meanwhile, Ohio State managed to rack up 517 yards of offense including two QBs, Joe Bauserman and Braxton Miller, throwing for 130 or more and rushing for 30 or more yards. The Buckeyes also got solid performances out of two running backs. Carlos Hyde led the way with 93 yards on 19 carries while Rod Smith managed 74 yards on 18 touches.

Other than their impressive showing last week, there are also plenty of historical trends backing the Buckeyes this Saturday. Ohio State is 17-0 all-time against MAC opponents. They’ve also won 55 consecutive regular season home games against non-ranked non-conference opponents.

Toledo racked up some impressive numbers of their own last week, albeit against FCS opponent New Hampshire. The Rocket’s offense was stellar, posting 591 yards of total offense (287 rushing/304 passing). They also punted just twice the entire game and did not turn the ball over (they did recover one of their own fumbles).

What is slightly disturbing is the 332 yards of offense the Rockets gave up to an opponent they should have been able to handle easily on the defensive side of the ball. I would also note that the total points Toledo ended up with are a bit skewed because of 3 lost fumbles and 2 interceptions by the Wildcats. With all of that being said, the Rockets did come out and do exactly what they were supposed to, at least on the offensive side of the ball, and make easy work of their first opponent.

With the side of the game heavily favoring the Buckeyes, the best Toledo can really hope for is to keep the game close. With the line sitting around three touchdowns I’m afraid the Rockets just don’t have the personnel on either side of the ball to keep in close. Ohio State looked dominant in all phases of the game and should find themselves with another easy win over an inferior opponent.

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