The Nebraska Cornhuskers and No. 8 Ohio State Buckeyes are set to go at it on the turf at Ohio Stadium. Fans can catch the action live on FOX and kickoff is pegged for 12:00 p.m. ET.
Nebraska Cornhuskers at Ohio State Buckeyes Betting Preview
Nebraska is the noticeable underdog here and is currently receiving 21 points by bookmakers. Oddsmakers have placed the over/under (O/U) at a sky-high 72 points. There will likely be multiple decent live betting scenarios for the game.
The over has been receiving the bulk of the early sharp action. The game’s total initially opened at just 68.5.
The hapless Cornhuskers have lost 8.8 units so far in 2018 and are 3-4 against the spread (ATS). The team has posted an O/U record of 5-2. The Buckeyes are down 3.3 units this season. The team is 3-4-1 ATS and owns an even O/U record of 4-4.
The Cornhuskers have gone just 2-6 straight up (SU), including 1-4 SU against conference opponents. The Buckeyes are 7-1 SU overall and 4-1 SU in conference play.
The Cornhuskers are trying to keep things going following a solid 45-9 win over Bethune-Cookman last week. the Cornhuskers completed 17-of-31 passes for 242 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. Adrian Martinez went 15-for-22 for 213 yards, two touchdowns and one interception while Noah Vedral completed two-of-nine for 29 yards and one interception. Devine Ozigbo (110 rushing yards on 11 attempts, one TD) led the ground attack while Stanley Morgan Jr. (seven receptions, 82 yards, two TDs) and JD Spielman (five catches, 72 yards) handled the receiving duties in the win.
Ohio State just lost convincingly 49-20 to Purdue back in Week 8. The defensive unit allowed the Boilermakers to pass for 378 yards and three touchdowns while rushing for 161 yards and three scores. Rondale Moore was on a different level for Purdue, recording 170 yards and two touchdowns on 12 catches. For Ohio State, Dwayne Haskins completed 49-of-73 passes for 470 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. J.K. Dobbins (24 rushing yards on 11 attempts) handled the running game as K.J. Hill (nine receptions, 105 yards) and Parris Campbell (nine catches, 43 yards) led the pass-catching attack in the loss.
Nebraska’s run the ball on 54.8 percent of its offensive plays this year, including 51.1 percent across possessions in conference play. Ohio State has a rush percentage of 47.9 percent, and has carried the ball 43.9 percent of the time when facing Big 10 opponents. The Cornhuskers have rushed for 221 yards/game (including 205 per game versus Big Ten opponents) and have 17 touchdowns on the ground this year. The Buckeyes are averaging 172 rushing yards per game (133 in conference) and have 12 total rush TDs.
The Cornhuskers offensive scheme has averaged 251 yards in the air overall (270 per game versus conference opposition) and has 13 passing scores so far. The Buckeyes have produced an astonishing 384 pass yards per contest (392.2 in the Big 10) and have 31 total pass TDs.
Defensively, Nebraska has allowed opponents to rush for an average of 166 yards and pass for 272 yards per game. The Ohio State defense has allowed 241.1 yards per game to opposing passers and 149.6 yards per game to opposing runners. Both teams allow similar adjusted net yards per pass attempt (ANY/A) to opponents, as the Cornhuskers have given up an ANY/A of 6.09 to opposing QBs, while the Buckeyes are yielding an ANY/A of 6.04.
Offensively, Martinez has put up 1,380 passing yards on the year, and has connected on 111-of-176 attempts with eight scores through the air and six interceptions. Martinez’s got a 6.25 adjusted net yards per pass attempt overall, although that number sits at 9.55 over the past two outings.
Dwayne Haskins has managed to complete 191-of-271 passes for 2,389 yards, 27 TDs and five INTs for Ohio State. His ANY/A stands at 9.68 for the year and 7.57 across his past two games.
When these two programs met last year, Ohio State knocked off Nebraska by six touchdowns 56-14.
RELATED: Week 10 College Football Betting Odds and Predictions
Betting Pick: Nebraska Cornhuskers at Ohio State Buckeyes
SU Winner – Ohio State, ATS Winner – Nebraska, O/U – Over
Click Here to Start Betting Today!
Notes
Team Betting Trends
The Over/Under for Nebraska’s last game going into it was 54.5. The under cashed in the team’s 45-9 victory over Bethune-Cookman.
Nebraska has averaged 6.8 yards per carry over its last three contests and 8.0 over its last two.
Ohio State has averaged 3.1 yards per carry over its last three outings and only 2.9 over its past two.
Ohio State has lost two fumbles this season while Nebraska has lost seven.
Over its last three games, Nebraska is 3-0 ATS and the over cashed in each of those three.
The O/U for Ohio State’s previous game going into it was 65.5. The over cashed in the team’s 49-20 loss to Purdue.
Over its last three games, Ohio State is 0-3 ATS and the over cashed in two of those three.
The Cornhuskers offense has registered four pass plays of 40 or more yards, while the Buckeyes have accounted for nine such plays.
The Nebraska defense has allowed nine pass plays of 40+ yards, while Ohio State has given up six such plays.
The Nebraska offense has created 25 rushing plays of 20+ yards, while Ohio State has created eight such runs.
The Cornhuskers defense has allowed 12 rushing plays of 20 or more yards, while the Buckeyes have given up 13 such runs.
The Ohio State defense has created 26 sacks on the year while Nebraska has just 20.
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