Greg Schiano has revitalized the Rutgers football team in his second stint with the program, but will it be enough to keep up with Ohio State this time around?
While the Buckeyes have dominated the series, winning all nine games in the matchup's history, Ryan Day's team will have to continue to play well and carry the momentum from their win last weekend at Wisconsin if they want to continue to dominate Rutgers.
Ohio State appears ready to do just that.
BRINGING THE pic.twitter.com/X7piKGLoIs
— Ohio State Football (@OhioStateFB) November 4, 2023
With less than three hours until kickoff of the game between Big Ten East opponents at noon on CBS, the ultimate opinion-shapers on Ohio State football at Eleven Warriors proudly offer their scoring predictions and a glimpse at the sports betting market for the fifth game on the Buckeyes' schedule.
Jason Priestas: Ohio State 27, Rutgers 9. "Can you believe Rutgers is bowl-eligible? Schiano has them grooving (relative to Rutgers standards) but Ohio State’s defense overwhelms another B1G foe as the Buckeyes win comfortably."
Dan Hope: Ohio State 31, Rutgers 10. "I’m running back the same score prediction I used last week. Rutgers’ defense will keep this game more competitive than the Scarlet Knights have ever been before with the Buckeyes, but I don’t see Rutgers scoring much against Ohio State’s defense."
Ramzy Nasrallah: Ohio State 31, Rutgers 6. "The only offense Ohio State has seen this season that is weaker than Rutgers' is Indiana's – but somehow, the next two offenses (Michigan State, Minnesota) will be even worse. The goal should be to keep all of them in the single digits."
Chris Lauderback: Ohio State 35, Rutgers 13. "$%&# Michigan."
Chase Brown: Ohio State 34, Rutgers 14. "I am tempted to predict Ohio State will score over 50 points, as it has done in six of wins (and matchups) over Rutgers, but out of respect for Greg Schiano and the 6-2 Scarlet Knights – and their top-10 defense – I'll say the Buckeyes will score lower than that total, but they'll still secure a big win in Piscataway."
Andy Anders: Ohio State 31, Rutgers 6. "Another dominant defensive outing from Ohio State allows the Buckeyes offense enough bites at the apple to find its footing against the Scarlet Knights."
Garrick Hodge: Ohio State 34, Rutgers 13. "Ohio State eventually coasts past a much improved Rutgers team, as the talent differential is still too much for the Scarlet Knights to overcome."
Johnny Ginter: Ohio State 38, Rutgers 14. "Look, I just want to see a nice, relaxing ass-kicking of Rutgers that I end up nodding off to some time in the 3rd quarter. My guess is TreVeyon Henderson will provide for that."
Kyle Jones: Ohio State 27, Rutgers 10. "Henderson’s presence in the run game provides more balance in an efficient offensive performance, but Rutgers’ efforts to shorten the game keep the Buckeyes’ remarkable streak of hitting the under alive."
George Eisner: Ohio State 34, Rutgers 10. "This matchup does not present itself as a great bounce-back spot for Kyle McCord. That said, if the Buckeyes continue to see their crucial playmakers return to the field healthy, the offense overall should find more of the scoring success it did in the first half of October."
Matt Gutridge: Ohio State 31, Rutgers 10. "The Buckeyes start 10-0 against an opponent for the first time in program history. It will also be the closest margin of victory for the Buckeyes against Rutgers."
Josh Poloha: Ohio State 31, Rutgers 10. "The Buckeyes have never lost to Rutgers and that won’t change any time soon."
Jack Emerson: Ohio State 35, Rutgers 7. "Greg Schiano has completely revitalized this Rutgers program, but it still has a ways to go to compete against Ohio State."
Check out this week's Eleven Warriors Roundtable for score predictions and more analysis from George Eisner, Garrick Hodge and Jason Priestas.
Will Ohio State Cover?
After the Buckeyes opened as 19-point favorites over Rutgers, the spread has since dropped slightly in the Scarlet Knights' favor, as Ohio State is listed as an 18.5-point favorite over Rutgers.
The Buckeyes are 8-0 but just 4-4 against the spread this season, including 1-3 on the road. Ohio State has covered the spread in three of their last four games. Meanwhile, Rutgers is 6-2 and an impressive 8-1-1 against the spread. The Scarlet Knights are 4-1 against the spread at home.
While all 13 Eleven Warriors staff members believe the Buckeyes will beat Rutgers and remain undefeated, all but Jason Priestas and Kyle Jones believe Ohio State will cover the spread as well.
What about the Over?
The total opened at 42.5 and that's where it remains.
Ohio State has only gone over in one game so far this season (63-10 over Western Kentucky) while Rutgers is 4-4 when it comes to the over/under.
The Eleven Warriors staff is pretty split on the total, as Jason Priestas, Ramzy Nasrallah, Dan Hope, Andy Anders, Kyle Jones, Josh Poloha, Matt Gutridge, and Jack Emerson believe Ohio State's under streak will continue and Chris Lauderback, Johnny Ginter, Chase Brown, Garrick Hodge and George Eisner believe the Buckeyes will hit the over for just the second time in nine games.
Interested in more betting analysis from Eleven Warriors? Check out Easy Bucks for more detailed breakdowns on this weekend's lines and more.
Eleven Warriors House Prop Bets
Looking for more statistics to speculate on? Take a gander at our in-house prop betting lines for this matchup to get a greater sense of what oddsmakers are expecting from individual performances. Leave your predictions for us in the comments and compete for some bragging rights!
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How many passing yards will Kyle McCord have?
- Over 234.5 (-115)
- Under 234.5 (-105)
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How many receiving yards will Marvin Harrison Jr. have?
- Over 104.5 (-120)
- Under 104.5 (+100)
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How many rushing yards will TreVeyon Henderson have?
- Over 94.5 (-115)
- Under 94.5 (-105)
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How many touchdowns will Harrison and Henderson combine to score?
- Over 2.5 (-115)
- Under 2.5 (-105)
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How many points will Ohio State's defense allow Rutgers to score?
- Over 10.5 (+105)
- Under 10.5 (-110)
Still need time to kill before kickoff? Gear up for the new season with a quick shopping spree around the Eleven Warriors Dry Goods store!
