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Nebraska vs. Ohio State: Picks, Predictions and Odds

Week 9 brings us a fascinating Big Ten matchup between the Nebraska Cornhuskers and No. 4 Ohio State Buckeyes at the Horseshoe in Columbus, Ohio.

This is the second consecutive road game for Nebraska following last week’s 56-7 blowout loss in Indiana. To make matters worse, the Cornhuskers now have to go toe-to-toe with a rested Ohio State team that has had a bye week to stew in its one-point loss at Oregon last time out. 

The Buckeyes find themselves in a bit of a lookahead spot with a massive road game at undefeated No. 3 Penn State next week, but it’s still not enough to scare us away from laying the points against a Nebraska team that we have more questions about than answers.

With both teams looking to make a statement on the big stage, let’s get into our betting picks, predictions and best bets for Nebraska vs. Ohio State on Saturday.  

Nebraska vs. Ohio State betting picks and predictions

Ohio State -25.5 (-110)

The Cornhusker offense has not been particularly efficient recently, ranking 74th in points per drive since Week 4. The Cornhuskers have also been extremely inefficient in their opponents territory in that span, averaging less than three points when they cross the opposing 40-yard line.

Those struggles should certainly continue against an Ohio State defense that has given up an average of just over two points per opposing scoring opportunity on the season.

On the surface, Nebraska’s defense has been solid since the middle of September, but the basic counting stats can be deceiving.

After all, the Cornhuskers are 114th in scoring opportunities allowed outside of garbage time since Week 4. In fact, their opponents have crossed over the Nebraska 40-yard line more than seven times per game in that span, which is not the best recipe for success against an elite team like the Buckeyes. 

On the other side, this Ohio State offense finishes drives at an extremely efficient rate, putting up an average of over five points per non-garbage time scoring opportunity over the last five weeks – one of the best marks in the country. That spells trouble for a Nebraska team that is struggling to put together good performances against quality opponents.

Even though Ohio State could be looking ahead to next week’s matchup, let’s target the Buckeyes -25.5 at -110 for our point spread prediction for this game.

Over 48.0 total points (-110)

This is a scenario where the game script for each team will tell the story for both the outcome and point total on Saturday.

If the Cornhuskers are going to keep this one respectable, then that likely means that Nebraska will have to limit the outstanding Ohio State offense and turn this game into a grind-it-out affair. 

Matt Rhule’s team should look to limit the amount of possessions that the Buckeyes get in this game, and it seems that Ohio State will not want to show much given that Ryan Day’s group has Penn State on deck in a game that has massive Big Ten and College Football Playoff implications.

Even with that in mind, it’s hard to imagine how Ohio State doesn’t score plenty of points in this game. The Buckeyes offense is much too talented and efficient to be limited against a Nebraska defense that is solid, but not quite as strong as what the Cornhuskers were expected to have this season.

Nebraska just got torched in the passing game against Indiana, and there’s no doubt that Ohio State’s passing offense presents an even bigger challenge than what the Cornhuskers saw against the Hoosiers.

Therefore, Ohio State should be able to get to at least 35-38 points by themselves in a game where the offense should keep on humming throughout the contest.  

Given our projected game script for this matchup, we’re getting a bit of value on this number, so let’s take Over 48.0 total points at -110 for our game totals pick in this Big Ten clash.  

Read more betting picks and predictions for College Football on site.

Nebraska vs. Ohio State odds

Nebraska

+1600 ML

Ohio State

-5000 ML

Spread

Ohio State -25.5

Total Points

O/U 48.0

Read Nebraska vs. Ohio State: How to watch, TV channel, streaming start time, injury report and stats on site.

Read the latest College Football news on site.

This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.

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