The no. 5 Ohio State Buckeyes could get a tough test on the road this weekend when they pay a visit to the Nebraska Cornhuskers. Kickoff is set for 7:30 EST on Saturday, September 28 at Memorial Stadium in Lincoln, Nebraska. The game is being televised nationally on ABC.
The Buckeyes are currently listed as 17.5-point favorites on the road. The over/under for the game is set at 67 points. Click here for a full list of this week’s college football odds.
It’s been one blowout after another for Ohio State during the early part of their schedule. The Buckeyes have wins of 42-0, 51-10, and 76-5 over Cincinnati, Indiana, and Miami (Ohio), respectively. Obviously, Ohio State was a heavy favorite heading into each of those games, but each time they ended up obliterating the spread.
Of course, the early-season parade of inferior teams could be over for Ohio State. The Buckeyes will face ranked teams in half of their eight remaining games. They also face a few road games that could be tricky, starting with this week’s trip to Lincoln.
The Cornhuskers have certainly made big strides since Scott Frost took over prior to the 2018 season. Unfortunately, Nebraska couldn’t quite hang on for a win against Colorado a few weeks ago. Otherwise, the Cornhuskers would probably be a top-25 team right now. Nevertheless, they’ve bounced back the last two weeks with wins over Northern Illinois and Illinois to get to 3-1.
With three wins in their final eight games, the Cornhuskers can get back to a bowl game for the first time since 2016. But after barely escaping with a 42-38 win at Illinois last week in their conference opener, the Big Ten schedule is going to get a lot more difficult. Hosting Ohio State could be a good litmus test for Nebraska to see how they stack up against the best team in the Big Ten.
Nebraska has just one win over Ohio State, and that came in 2011, which was their first year in the Big Ten. Since then, the Buckeyes have won all four head-to-head games with the Cornhuskers. The first three of those games were blowouts, but Frost and the Cornhuskers only lost 36-31 in Columbus last year in a game they had a chance to win. That result should make them confident that they can give the Buckeyes a game this year and even have a chance to pull off the upset at home.
The Cornhuskers are probably better than they were a year ago when they nearly knocked off Ohio State. But the Buckeyes are better too and aren’t going to take Nebraska lightly. Ohio State has come at teams with no mercy in recent weeks, so I have no doubt they’ll be up for a conference game on the road. Given Nebraska’s vulnerability on defense this year, I’ll eat the points and look for Ohio State to cover.
In the two games Nebraska has played a decent opponent this year, their defense has looked atrocious. Last week, the Cornhuskers gave up 38 points to Illinois despite the Fighting Illini having less than 100 yards passing. Part of that was self-inflicted with Nebraska turning it over four times. But part of it was getting shredded by the Illinois running game. Earlier in the season against Colorado, the Cornhuskers managed to contain the run but were killed threw the air in a game they lost despite leading 17-0 at halftime.
Against Ohio State, the Cornhuskers will have to provide some kind of resistance against both the run and the pass. The Buckeyes have explosive playmakers in the backfield in J.K. Dobbins and Master Teague. Quarterback Justin Fields is also dangerous with his legs, already scoring six touchdowns with his legs. There’s also the matter of Fields and the passing game. The Georgia transfer has 13 touchdown passes and no interceptions through four games. Even if you question the competition level, the Nebraska defense may not be much better than teams like Cincinnati and Indian that couldn’t stop the OSU offense.
The caveat, of course, is that the Nebraska offense can be explosive too. They proved that against Ohio State last year and quarterback Adrian Martinez is just as capable of leading the Cornhuskers into the end zone this time around. Martinez also has plenty of help around him in receiver JD Spielman and running backs Maurice Washington and Dedrick Mills.
That being said, the Ohio State defense has been just as impressive as the offense early in the year. Again, the level of competition is a little questionable. But giving up 15 points over their last three games is no fluke. I don’t expect the Buckeyes to remain that dominant. But I have no doubt that they will make it far more difficult for the Nebraska offense to move the ball than any team the Cornhuskers have faced this year. The Buckeyes are also capable of forcing turnovers against a team that was loose with the ball last week.
In the end, the Cornhuskers will find themselves in a shootout that they can’t possibly win. Fields is one of the few quarterbacks in the country who’s more dynamic than Martinez. He also has better playmakers around him and a better defense. Barring a complete letdown by Ohio State, I don’t think the Buckeyes will have a problem covering the spread.