The No. 1 Ohio State Buckeyes (8-0) look to continue their unbeaten streak as they play the Minnesota Golden Gophers (4-4). The nation’s fifth-leading rusher, Ezekiel Elliott (1,130 yards, 13 TDs), will have a major impact on this matchup. It starts at 8:00 p.m. ET on Saturday, Nov 7 and will air on ABC.
Ohio State routed Rutgers 49-7 in their last game. Michael Thomas had an outstanding performance in the win, registering five receptions for 103 yards and one TD. J.T. Barrett also had a big day, contributing 223 yards and three TDs through the air. Minnesota didn’t have the same success as Ohio State, losing a close one to Michigan 29-26. Brandon Lingen had a big game for the Golden Gophers, totaling five receptions for 111 yards. Mitch Leidner also had a big game with 317 yards and a TD through the air.
The Buckeyes are a considerable 23-point favorite and the Over/Under (O/U) for the matchup is unavailable at the moment.
While the Buckeyes have a good Straight Up (SU) record this season (8-0), they’ve played below expectations with a 3-5 record Against The Spread (ATS). The Ohio State rushing attack has averaged 254.6 rushing yards in the last five games. As for the Ohio State defense, there are important areas to keep an eye on. The Buckeyes have the second-best pass defense in the nation and give up 149.2 yards per game through the air. Minnesota might put Ohio State away early because the Buckeyes are one of the top teams in scoring offense during the fourth quarter. So far this year, they’ve averaged 11.8 fourth-quarter points.
On the other side, the Golden Gophers have a record of 3-5 ATS and 4-4 SU. The Golden Gophers went 2-3 for both SU and ATS over the last five games. Opponents have had headaches with Minnesota’s 17th-ranked pass defense, which gives up just 176.2 passing yards per game.
Predictions: SU Winner – Ohio State, ATS Winner – Ohio State
Notes
Ohio State is 2-5 ATS in its last 7 games.
Ohio State is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games.
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Ohio State’s last 7 games.
Ohio State is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games at home.
Ohio State is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home.
The total has gone OVER in 10 of Ohio State’s last 14 games at home.
Ohio State is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing Minnesota.
Minnesota is 2-1 SU when leading at the half this season. Ohio State is 5-0 SU when taking a lead into halftime.
Minnesota is an even 2-2 SU in games where it wins the turnover battle, yet 2-1 SU when losing the turnover battle.
Dating back to last season, Ohio State is a perfect 13-0 SU against Big 10 opponents, while Minnesota is an even 6-6 SU against conference foes.
According to overall FBS team rankings, Ohio State is rated higher in the ground game on both sides of the ball. Its 13th-ranked rushing attack will face the 48th-ranked run defense of Minnesota, while its 52nd-ranked run defense will look to contain the 91st-ranked rushing game of the Golden Gophers.
