Despite Ohio State having its second bye week of the season planned for next weekend, the Buckeyes have already opened as 25.5-point favorites over Nebraska ahead of what will be the final game in October on OSU's schedule.
DraftKings put out the opening line on Sunday less than 24 hours removed from Ohio State's first loss of the season to Oregon by a narrow 32-31 final score. The result saw the Buckeyes fall to No. 4 in the AP Poll as Oregon climbed to No. 2 but failed to earn the top spot over Texas. Meanwhile, the Cornhuskers earned the second-most AP votes among unranked teams in the latest poll and will play No. 16 Indiana next weekend, meaning Nebraska could find itself ranked ahead of the meeting with OSU with a win over the Hoosiers.
The line holding to close would serve as a fourth-largest spread Ohio State has enjoyed as favorites this season, and the most since the Buckeyes closed as 40-point favorites over Marshall a month ago. The current margin also figures to serve as Nebraska's first game as an underdog this year, previously closing as no worse than 6.5-point favorites over Colorado during the first week of September.
Ohio State owns a 5-1 record against the spread in 2024 after failing to win by more than a field goal last night. Conversely, Nebraska owns a 4-2 ATS mark after not covering against Rutgers as seven-point favorites last week.
As of Sunday, no line for a point total has yet to become available. The Buckeyes have hit overs in four of six games thus far, while the Cornhuskers have seen unders materialize in all of the contests this season other than their loss at home to Illinois.
In eight meetings with Nebraska since the 2011 season, Ohio State has covered the spread in all but two games, including the most recent contest between the schools in 2021. The point total has a dead even 4-4 record, but the under has hit in all of the last four showdowns dating back to the 2018 season. The Buckeyes' only outright loss to the Cornhuskers during that stretch was the first time the schools played after Nebraska joined the Big Ten.
Although no official announcement has dropped yet regarding the start time for the upcoming game at Ohio Stadium on October 26th, Action Network currently has the game listed for a noon kickoff.
