Buckle up, Buckeye fans.
Ohio State hits the road tonight for the first time in the 2024 campaign.
Last week, Marshall gave Ohio State a somewhat stiffer test than expected in the first half before Ryan Day's squad pulled away definitively in the final 30 minutes. This evening, the Buckeyes will face their greatest challenge yet this season as the Michigan State Spartans pursue their first home win over OSU in 25 years.
Get Its Gameday Buckeye Nation pic.twitter.com/dvzF1iquJ1
— Ohio State Football (@OhioStateFB) September 28, 2024
The stage is set for THE Buckeyes pic.twitter.com/OrCMWazLgf
— Ohio State Buckeyes (@OhioStAthletics) September 28, 2024
While Ohio State gears up for the team's conference opener, check out how the Eleven Warriors staff believes the contest in East Lansing will play out ahead of kickoff in primetime.
Score Predictions
Andy Anders — Ohio State 48, Michigan State 10: With an opponent to take more seriously this week, Ohio State beats up on the team it’s made a habit of beating up on in recent years.
Chase Brown — Ohio State 42, Michigan State 10: Ohio State leverages the experience it gained from defending Marshall dual-threat quarterback Stone Earle to contain Michigan State signal caller Aidan Chiles and hold the Spartans in check. Meanwhile, the Buckeye offense leans on TreVeyon Henderson and Quinshon Judkins to rack up points. All told, Ohio State wins big in its Big Ten opener.
George Eisner — Ohio State 35, Michigan State 7: Went on the shallower side with this prediction in anticipation of messy weather resulting from the inland dispersal of Hurricane Helene. Wind may not wreak as much havoc on the kickers and passing games for both teams as I guessed earlier in the week, but rain remains expected. Buckeyes should grind out a victory on the ground as Michigan State's offense has some moments of effectiveness but ultimately concedes too many turnovers to Jim Knowles' crew.
Jack Emerson — Ohio State 42, Michigan State 10: Big Ten play is finally here, and while Michigan State poses a much more significant threat to Ohio State than it's previous three opponents, I expect to see a very familiar result for the Buckeyes.
Johnny Ginter — Ohio State 42, Michigan State 10: The Buckeyes stop messing around with overmatched MAC teams and finally take on the big boys of the B1G... and win by a billion anyway.
Matt Gutridge — Ohio State 35, Michigan State 13: With a win, the Buckeyes will have nine consecutive victories over the Spartans for the first time in program history. Ryan Day will also join Jim Tressel and Earle Bruce as the only Ohio State coaches to start 6-0 against Michigan State.
Garrick Hodge — Ohio State 45, Michigan State 10: The Buckeyes will force Aiden Chiles into uncomfortable situations and should be able to find success against a Michigan State defense that hasn't faced an offense as capable as this one as OSU cruises in it's Big Ten opener.
Dan Hope — Ohio State 41, Michigan State 17: With a dynamic quarterback and a quality defense, Michigan State will test Ohio State more than any of the Buckeyes’ non-conference opponents could. Aidan Chiles has already thrown seven interceptions this season, though, and I expect the Buckeyes to capitalize on his mistakes en route to their eighth straight win by at least 20 points against the Spartans.
Kyle Jones — Ohio State 42, Michigan State 14: Aidan Chiles provides some early sparks of excitement that gives Spartan fans some early hope, but the MSU defense hasn’t seen an offense like Ohio State’s yet and the Buckeyes eventually run away with it.
Chris Lauderback — Ohio State 38, Michigan State 13: The Silver Bullets come up with a couple turnovers and the run game continues to look strong, even against a respectable Spartan front, as the Buckeyes win comfortably on the road.
Ramzy Nasrallah — Ohio State 42, Michigan State 9: Nothing heals Buckeye special teams like East Lansing.
Josh Poloha — Ohio State 41, Michigan State 13: The Buckeyes will have quite a test given that it's their first road game and first Big Ten game of the season. East Lansing will be quite an environment at night, too. That said, Ohio State will hand its business and OSU's defense or special teams will notch its first touchdown of the season and the Buckeyes will make it eight straight wins by 20-plus points over the Spartans.
Jason Priestas — Ohio State 41, Michigan State 6: The Buckeyes pass their first test against a Power 4 opponent, rolling a better-than-you-think Michigan State team on the road as the seven-headed offense gives Sparty’s defense fits all night.
Jordan Raines — Ohio State 42, Michigan State 10: Score prediction for the week: Sparty shows some fight, but the Bucks’ talent is insurmountable. Ryan Day leads his team to a commanding 42-10 victory against “terrible state up north” State.
Will Ohio State Cover?
Ohio State heads into the evening as 23.5 point favorites over Michigan State after the line opened at 25 points last weekend. All members of the Eleven Warriors staff believe the Buckeyes will win by at least three touchdowns, with four different employees predicting a 42-10 final score.
Only Matt Gutridge believes the Buckeyes will fail to cover the spread. Andy Anders projects the greatest margin of victory by 38 points, while Gutridge has the Buckeyes narrowly missing a cover by just a point and a half.
What About the Over/Under?
The game's projected total started out at a line of 48.5 before decreasing very slightly to 48 points a few hours ahead of kickoff. Among the Eleven Warriors staff, 11 of 14 employees believe the over will hit.
Jason Priestas and George Eisner anticipate the under will cash in this contest, while Gutridge's tally would result in a push. Eisner has the shallowest total among all staff members at just 42 points, while beat stars Anders and Dan Hope tie for the loftiest projection at 58 points.
Eleven Warriors Prop Bets
Wondering how the odds dictate the probabilities of other factors in this game? Consider some of our in-house prop betting lines for tonight's showdown for a more informed perspective on what the wagering market believes will or won't happen. Leave your predictions for us in the comments and compete for bragging rights!
-
How many passing yards will Will Howard have?
- Over 259.5 (+100)
- Under 259.5 (-120)
-
How many passing touchdowns will the Ohio State defense allow to Aidan Chiles?
- One or more (-135)
- None (+125)
-
Will Jeremiah Smith score at least two touchdowns?
- Yes (+450)
- No (-460)
-
Will the Ohio State defense score a touchdown?
- Yes (+300)
- No (-400)
-
If you believe a Buckeye running back will score the game's first touchdown, which will do so?
- TreVeyon Henderson (+500)
- Quinshon Judkins (+500)
- James Peoples (+1500)
- Someone Else (+4900)
