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Ohio State has several high-profile games on its 2024 schedule, and a few of them already have betting lines available from some reputable sports books.
Those lines will almost certainly change once the season gets going, but they can serve as barometer for how the market sees the Buckeyes — and their top competitors — at this point in the offseason.
And, of course, those lines are available for bettors who see value in the market — even though the season is still a couple of months away. Here’s a look at a few early betting lines for some select Ohio State games in 2024:
Oct. 5: Ohio State (-24) vs. Iowa | DraftKings
The Buckeyes are currently favored by 24 points over Iowa, who will be hoping to take a big step forward offensively this season with a new coordinator in charge. This game will be played in Columbus, which at least partially explains the high number.
Despite being conference rivals, Ohio State and Iowa have only met twice in the last decade. Neither game was close. In 2022, Ohio State won 54-10 in Columbus. In 2017, the Hawkeyes won 55-24 in Iowa City. Overall, Ohio State has won 14 of the last 16 matchups in this series.
Since the start of the 2019 season when Ryan Day took over on a full-time basis, Ohio State has been favored by 20+ points against Big Ten opposition a total of 19 times. The Buckeyes are 19-0 straight up and 11-7-1 against the spread in those instances.
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Oct. 12: Ohio State (-1.5) at Oregon | BetMGM
Ohio State is a short favorite in its highly-anticipated matchup against Oregon in mid-October. The outcome of this game could carry heavy implications on who ultimately reaches Big Ten Championship Game and possibly the College Football Playoff.
Like Ohio State, Oregon is expected to compete for a spot in the CFP this season. The Ducks brought in quarterback Dillon Gabriel from Oklahoma this offseason to replace Bo Nix, as well as a host of other intriguing transfers. Oregon is 22-5 overall since Dan Lanning became the head coach ahead of the 2022 season.
If this line holds, it would be historic. The Buckeyes have never been less than a 3-point favorite vs. Big Ten opposition in the Day era (and have scarcely been underdogs). Only 3 times since 2019 has Ohio State been favored by less than a touchdown in a regular-season contest. Ohio State is 1-1-1 ATS in those games, with the win (Penn State) and push (Notre Dame) both coming in 2023. The last time Ohio State was favored by under a field goal was in 2016 when the Buckeyes won on the road at Oklahoma as short favorites.
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Nov. 2: Ohio State (-4.5) at Penn State | Caesars
Ohio State has won 7 consecutive games against the Nittany Lions, but this year’s meeting in Happy Valley figures to be a tough test for the Buckeyes. Penn State returns quarterback Drew Allar and is hoping to have a much more efficient offense in 2024 after hiring Andy Kotelnicki away from Kansas.
All of the short favorite trends from above apply in this game as well. It’s very rare for Ohio State to be favored by under a touchdown during a regular-season Big Ten contest.
Ohio State is 5-0 against Penn State with Day on the sidelines, but the Buckeyes have been less-than-inspiring against the number in this matchup. The Buckeyes are just 2-3 ATS against the Nittany Lions since 2019. Ohio State’s ATS struggles vs. Penn State go back even further, however. Penn State is 7-3 ATS against Ohio State since James Franklin took over as head coach in 2014.
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Nov. 30: Ohio State (-9.5) vs. Michigan | FanDuel
There’s good news and bad news for Ohio State fans. The good news is that the Buckeyes are going to enter the 2024 season as something close to a double-digit favorite against Michigan in their regular-season finale.
The bad news is that Ohio State has been favored in The Game in 2 of the last 3 meetings in this series, all of which ended in defeat for OSU. With Michigan losing much of the core (and coaching staff) that won the national championship in 2023, Ohio State will be expected to snap a 3-game losing streak to its bitter rivals in 2024.
It’s also worth noting that this matchup may turn out to be a preview of the Big Ten title game. With the Big Ten getting rid of divisions this fall, it will be possible for the Buckeyes and Wolverines to meet in back-to-back weeks for the first time.
Ohio State has covered the spread in just 2 of its last 10 meetings vs. Michigan.
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Spenser is the news manager at Saturday Road and covers college football across all Saturday Football brands.