Ohio State vs Nebraska Spread, Odds and Prediction
- No. 5 Ohio State is a 14.5-point road favorite at Nebraska at 12:00pm ET Saturday on FOX
- Ohio State is 6-1 overall and ATS in the series that began in 2011; Nebraska has lost 14 straight games against ranked opponents
- See the odds, best bet and where to bet the game below
No. 5 Ohio State is a 14.5-point favorite against host Nebraska in a Big Ten game at Lincoln at 12:00pm EST Saturday on FOX. The Buckeyes have won and covered six of the seven games in the series, which began when Nebraska jumped from the Big 12 in 2011.
The Buckeyes (7-1, 5-0 Big Ten East) are 6-0 straight up and 4-2 ATS since their 35-28 home loss to Oregon in the second week of the season. Nebraska (3-5, 1-5 Big Ten West) has lost three in a row and five of six while going 3-3 ATS.
Ohio State vs Nebraska Odds
| Team | Moneyline | Spread | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ohio State Buckeyes | -520 | -14.5 (-112) | Over 64.5 (-110) |
| Nebraska Cornhuskers | +800 | +14.5 (-108) | Under 64.5 (-110) |
Odds from FanDuel on Nov 3rd
Ohio State is listed at +400 to win the CFP national championship game by FanDuel, the third-favorite behind SEC teams Georgia (-110) and Alabama (+300). The Buckeyes lost to Alabama in the 2020 title game.
Nebraska is 1-5 in the Big Ten, its only conference victory coming in a 50-6 home rout of Northwestern on Oct. 2. The Huskers have been in every game, falling to title contenders Michigan and Michigan State by three games a piece. They have not lost a league game by more than eight points.
Buckeyes Offense Rolling
Ohio State leads the FBS with an average of 47.2 points per game and is No.2 in total offense and yards per play, averaging 548.1 yards per game and 8.24 yards per play.
Quarterback CJ Stroud is among the top handful of Heisman Trophy candidates, wide receiver Chris Olave is considered a likely first-round pick in the 2022 NFL draft and freshman running back TreVeyon Henderson has become a big-play threat since being unleashed.
Stroud is third in the FBS in passing efficiency, and he has thrown for 1,307 yards and 15 touchdowns with no interceptions in four games since missing the Akron game Sept. 25 because of a shoulder soreness. He has 23 touchdown passes and three interceptions this season.
Stroud is averaging 326.9 yards per game, 10th in the FBS.
Huskers Can’t Close
Nebraska quarterback Adrian Martinez is 16th in the FBS in total offense at 301 yards per game, but inefficiency down the stretch has cost the Huskers, whose six losses have come by 33 points. Nebraska has stumbled while having the ball with a chance to tie or take the lead in the fourth quarter of the last five defeats.
Martinez had four interceptions in the most recent game, a 28-23 loss to Purdue, threw an interception in overtime in a 23-20 loss to Michigan State, fumbled in the final 90 seconds to set up the winning field goal in Michigan’s 32-29 victory and was called for intentional grounding in the end zone for a safety in the final five minutes of a 30- 23 loss to Minnesota.
Martinez has 451 rushing yards and 11 rushing touchdowns, third among FBS quarterbacks behind Syracuse’s Garrett Shrader and Louisville’s Malik Cunningham, but his completion percentage (62.5) is in the lower half of qualifiers. He has thrown 12 touchdowns and seven interceptions.
Henderson Coming On
Buckeye freshman TreVeyon Henderson had a season-high 28 carries for 152 yards in the 33-24 victory over Penn State last week, as he has been integrated into the offense with greater regularity.
Henderson had 277 yards rushing in a breakout game against Tulsa on Sept. 18, but had only eight touches the next two games before getting 20 against Maryland and 10 against Indiana in the two games preceding Penn State. He had three touchdowns against Maryland and Indiana, two rushing and one passing.
By the Numbers
Ohio State, favored by at least 14 points in every game this season, is 2-0-1 ATS on the road, beating Rutgers 52-13 and Indiana 54-7 in its most recent road outings. The Buckeyes are 2-1 ATS at Nebraska, covering the 17-point number in 2019 and the 24-point spread in 2017.
The Cornhuskers have lost three in a row and five of six but are 3-3 ATS in that span. They are 3-1 ATS as a home favorite, losing to Purdue 28-23 as a 7.5-point favorite in Lincoln last Saturday.
GET BUDDY SOME OXYGEN 🤣🔥 pic.twitter.com/atZm6uLJfV
— PFF College (@PFF_College) October 31, 2021
Ohio State’s offensive line had its lowest grade of the season against Penn State, according to Pro Football Focus, when the Buckeyes had only two offensive touchdowns.
With undefeated No. 6 Cincinnati on its heels, the Buckeyes’ path to the CFP Final Four includes decisive wins. Trends in this series point in that direction.
The pick: Ohio State -14.5 (-112)
Jack has covered college and professional sports for various Arizona media outlets since the 1980s and has written for the Associated Press, USA Today and Baseball America, among others. He staffed the 2015-17 World Series and has staffed four Super Bowls.
