Indiana at Ohio State Betting Spread & Pick

Second-ranked Ohio State could be caught looking ahead to next week’s big game against Wisconsin, but the Buckeyes know that Indiana is capable of an upset after the Hoosiers pulled one against Michigan State last Saturday. They face off at the Horseshoe on Saturday with OSU a big favorite in online college football betting.

Here’s a Closer Look at the Indiana at Ohio State Betting Spread, Pick & TV Info

When: Saturday, Oct. 8, 3:30 PM ET
Where: Ohio Stadium, Columbus
TV: ESPN
Opening NCAA Football Lines: OSU -29 (61.5)

Why Bet on Indiana?

The Hoosiers (2-2) upset No. 17 Michigan State 24-17 in overtime last week. Griffin Oakes’ 20-yard field goal in the first overtime period clinched Indiana’s first win over a ranked opponent since 2014. Nearing the end of the third quarter with a 14-0 deficit, quarterback Richard Lagow sparked a comeback with a 5-yard touchdown reception on Mitchell Paige’s toss on a throwback play. The touchdown was the first of Indiana’s 21 unanswered points to put the Spartans on the ropes late in regulation.

Lagow completed 16 of his 26 passes on the night for 276 yards and two touchdowns. Lagow is averaging 319.5 passing yards per game this season. IU leads the Big Ten in passing offense (320.8, 17th nationally) and is 2nd in total offense (496.8, 22nd).

Devine Redding rushed for 100 yards on 19 carries (5.3 average). This marks his sixth 100-yard game of his career. The junior has rushed for 100 or more yards in six of his last seven games. Redding also caught two passes out of the backfield for 14 yards. After halftime, Indiana did not commit a penalty, did not turn the ball over and did not allow a sack.

Indiana had not beaten a ranked team at home, or a ranked Big Ten team, since 2006, when the Hoosiers defeated then-No. 15 Iowa. That was also the last year the Hoosiers defeated Michigan State and won the Old Brass Spittoon, the quaint trophy shared in this series. The win was the first for IU in overtime since beating Purdue, 34-31, in overtime in 2010. The Hoosiers are now 3-6 all-time in overtime.

Indiana has never defeated a team ranked No. 1 or 2 (0-28). The program’s lone victory over a top-three team came on Nov. 25, 1967 – a 19-14 win over No. 3 Purdue in Bloomington to clinch a trip to the Rose Bowl. IU took No. 1 Ohio State down to the wire last season, falling 34-27 in Bloomington on Oct. 3. Indiana has won five of its last six regular season games and three straight Big Ten games (longest streak since 4 in 1993).

Why Bet on Ohio State?

They rank in the Top 10 in offense, defense, and special teams in the latest S&P+ ratings (in which they are No. 1 overall); only one other team (Texas A&M) is in even the top 25 in all three. Ohio State has a terrific three-man receiving corps. Curtis Samuel, Dontre Wilson, and Noah Brown have caught 45 of 53 passes for 641 yards, 12.1 per target. Each has at least a 60 percent success rate (how well they get the yardage to keep the chains moving on schedule) and 71 percent catch rate.

OSU slaughtered Rutgers 58-0 last week. J.T. Barrett broke the school record for career touchdown passes with the third of his four TD tosses. Barrett was 21 for 29 for 238 yards before giving way to backup Joe Burrow near the end of the third quarter. He now has 59 TD passes in 27 career games for Ohio State.

Freshman tailback Mike Weber continued to cement his place in the Ohio State (4-0, 1-0 Big Ten) backfield, rushing for 144 yards on 14 attempts before also taking a seat in the third quarter. He also scored a touchdown, cutting around the left end and racing untouched for a 46-yard score 2 1/2 minutes into the second half. Ohio State’s defense never allowed the Scarlet Knights to penetrate deeper than the Ohio State 38 yard line.

Urban Meyer improved to 158-27 in his career and maintains the highest winning percentage (.854) among active coaches. With the win, Meyer improved to 15-0 in October at Ohio State. Ohio State leads the FBS in fewest points allowed at just 9.3 points per game. The Buckeyes are the only FBS team to not allow a rushing TD this season. The shutout was Ohio State’s first since a 38-0 blanking of Hawaii Sept. 12, 2015. Ohio State allowed just 33 passing yards against the Scarlet Knights, marking the fewest passing yards allowed in a Big Ten game since holding Wisconsin to zero passing yards in 1989.

Behind the nation’s third-most productive rushing attack at 332 yards per game, the Buckeyes rank fourth nationally in total offense with 576.3 yards per game. Ohio State’s 57.0 points per game is also third nationally and the 228 points scored through the first four games is the most — ever — for an Ohio State team.

Ohio State has won 20 consecutive games over Indiana and leads the all-time series, 71-12- 5. IU’s last win over the Buckeyes came in 1988 in Bloomington.

My Betting Pick

Over is 4-1 in Hoosiers last 5 road games.
Over is 6-2- 1 in Hoosiers last 9 games following a straight up win.
Buckeyes are 5-0 ATS in their last 5 games after scoring more than 40 points in their previous game.
Buckeyes are 4-0 ATS in their last 4 home games.
Buckeyes are 4-0 ATS in their last 4 games following a straight up win.

Take the points and go over the total in NCAA football odds.