2015
Ohio State
College Football
Betting Preview
Schedule and Odds
The goal is simple for Ohio State this season, win the National Championship again or it will be a disappointment. The Buckeyes are coming off the heels of a title and are No. 1 in most preseason predictions. They return a good portion of starters, including what everyone is talking about, the trio of quarterbacks. They are the hands down favorites in the sportsbooks, listed after spring ball at +425 at 5 Dimes to win it all and -150 to make the Four-team playoff.
Not to mention, Ohio State also has Four players with a chance to win the Heisman, as they are all listed in the Top 15 of those odds. Sure, that depends on who wins the starting quarterback job, but running back Ezekiel Elliott had the second-best Heisman odds in the spring.
Starting at QB, Cardale Jones had the early leg up on his competition, only because Braxton Miller and J.T. Barrett were still nursing their injuries. Urban Meyer came out after the spring Game and said the decision “can’t be a gut feeling,” so we know there will be tons of thought going into this and a decision probably won’t be made until the fall. OUtside of that, the Buckeyes only had a couple questions on offense. They already found a right tackle, but someone will have to take Devin Smith’s spot as the deep-threat wide receiver. Corey Smith and Noah Brown showed flashed in the passing Game and guys like Michael Thomas, Jalin Marshall and Dontre Wilson are still there, so the area shouldn’t be much of a concern. And of course, Elliott is still in the backfield after racking up 1,878 yards, 18 TDs and 6.9 yards per carry last year.
Defensively, there are some questions on the line and finding a replacement for Doran Grant at cornerback, but those will be decided with time. Joey Bosa and Adolphus Washington are still there and Raekwon McMillan was the obvious replacement at middle linebacker. As for the other holes, they look mostly set with CB Gareon Conley and Tommy SChutt and Tyquan Lewis taking over on the line.
Meyer wasn’t all that impressed after their spring Game, but this was the best team from a year ago. They aren’t losing a ton of talent, they have plenty of depth and get a favorable Schedule as a bonus. Who’s betting against them this season?
The Buckeyes open the season at Virginia Tech, the lone team they lost to in 2014, but they are also -20.5 point favorites (at 5Dimes). The rest of their non-Conference Schedule should be walkovers, while their Big Ten slate is also extremely favorable. They have to travel to Indiana, Rutgers, Illinois and Michigan. The Game against the Wolverines will be tough, but it wouldn’t have been fair if all of their road Games were easy, would it? Getting Illinois and Minnesota (at home) is favorable out of the West, as well. OSU’s toughest test will come at the end of the season when they host the Spartans and travel to Ann Arbor in the final two weeks.
Everything is setting up for the Buckeyes to finish undefeated and go for another National Championship. At this point, the only thing holding them back is deciding on which Heisman-worthy quarterback will lead them there.
2015 Ohio State Football Schedule
Sept. 7 at Virginia Tech
Sept 12 vs. Hawaii
Sept. 19 vs. Northern Illinois
Sept. 26 vs. Western Michigan
Oct. 3 at Indiana
Oct. 10 vs. Maryland
Oct. 17 vs. Penn State
Oct. 24 at Rutgers
Nov. 7 vs. Minnesota
Nov. 14 at Illinois
Nov. 21 vs. Michigan State
Nov. 28 at Michigan