The Ohio State Buckeyes will take the first step toward perhaps another College Football playoff berth when they welcome Oregon State on Saturday at noon ET. The Buckeyes are 40-point favorites, up from an opening mark of 38 in most markets. The over-under for total points scored is 63, up from opener of 60.5. Ohio State boasts one of the most talented rosters in the country and will be looking to lay the groundwork for perhaps its third postseason berth in the past five years, but can it cover a nearly six touchdown spread? Before you make any Ohio State vs. Oregon State picks, listen to what SportsLine data scientist Stephen Oh has to say.
Oh, a renowned data scientist and co-founder of AccuScore, specializes in sports simulations, projections and advanced statistical analysis. He is a consistent winner for SportsLine in every sport and now he has turned his attention to college football.
More importantly, Oh has had a keen eye for the tendencies of the Buckeyes and went an amazing 5-0 picking their games against the spread last season. Now, he has analyzed Saturday's season-opener and released a confident point-spread selection, which he is only sharing over at SportsLine.
He knows the Buckeyes can finally turn their attention to the playing field following weeks of tumult away from it. Coach Urban Meyer will serve the first of a three-game suspension stemming from his handling of a former assistant coach. Ryan Day will serve as interim coach during Meyer's absence.
Quarterback Dwayne Haskins has big shoes to fill at quarterback, but he played well last year in limited action behind J.T. Barrett. He will have the luxury of support from perhaps the top backfield in the country in J.K. Dobbins and Mike Weber. Receivers Parris Campbell and K.J. Hill provide explosive and experienced threats downfield.
By contrast, Oregon State has no such aspirations of winning a national title. The Beavers just hope to be competitive on the FBS level. Oregon State alum and former Beavers quarterback Jonathan Smith takes over as head coach after working as an understudy to Chris Petersen at Washington. He has hired familiar face Mike Riley to help with the transition. Jake Luton returns at quarterback following an injury-plagued junior year, but the bigger concern Is a defense that allowed 43 points per contest last year.
Just because these two programs appear to be going in opposite directions doesn't mean Ohio State can cover a massive spread. The Beavers are catching a ton of points against an Ohio State club that could be on autopilot, and there's little doubt Oregon State's players don't want to be embarrassed in Smith's debut.
We can tell you Oh is leaning toward the Over, but his analytics have unearthed a critical x-factor that will determine the spread outcome in this game, and he's only sharing it over at SportsLine.
So who covers Oregon State-Ohio State? And what critical x-factor determines the spread? Visit SportsLine now to see which side you need to jump all over Saturday from a data scientist who is a perfect 5-0 picking Ohio State games.
