Ohio State is a ridiculous 40-3 straight up in three-plus seasons under head coach Urban Meyer, and 25-18 against the spread. But the Buckeyes are sometimes favored by a touch too much, and are only 3-5 ATS when listed as chalk of 30 points or more. The defending national champs face another stiff spread when they host defending MAC champion Northern Illinois Saturday afternoon at the Horseshoe.
Point spread: Buckeyes opened as 31.5-point favorites, according to sportsbooks monitored by Odds Shark. (Line updates and matchup report)
College football pick, via Odds Shark computer: 46.6-24.2 Buckeyes
Why the Northern Illinois Huskies can cover the spread
NIU is off to a 2-0 start to the season after dispatching Murray State last week 57-26, covering as a 29-point favorite. The Huskies only led by 10 points early in the third quarter, then scored 31 of the game’s last 41 points to pull away. Northern Illinois racked up 643 yards of offense, running for 254 yards while quarterback Drew Hare threw for 358 yards and four scores.
Two weeks ago the Huskies opened the season with a 38-30 victory over UNLV.
Northern Illinois returned 13 starters this year from the team that won the MAC championship last season, including Hare, who owns a career 26-2 touchdown-to-interception ratio, and eight on defense. On top of that the Huskies are 4-3 SU and 6-1 ATS in their last seven games against the Big Ten Conference, including outright victories the last two seasons at…
Continue Reading: Northern Illinois vs. Ohio State Betting Odds, Analysis, College Football Pick
