No. 1 Ohio State maintained its perfect record this season with an emphatic 28-point victory over Penn State on Saturday. The Buckeyes will look to extend their 20-game winning streak even further when they take on the Rutgers Scarlet Knights in a marquee Big Ten clash this coming Saturday.
Who will grab the edge in this college football showdown? Read on below for an in-depth breakdown of this matchup and while you’re at it, you can check out our NCAA previews of California vs. UCLA and Utah vs. USC.
[sc:NCAAFArticles ]Ohio State Buckeyes vs. Rutgers Scarlet Knights Preview
Where: High Point Solutions Stadium, Piscataway, New Jersey
When: Saturday, October 24, 8:00 PM ET
Line: Ohio State Buckeyes at Rutgers Scarlet Knights – view all NCAA Football lines
TV Broadcast: ABC
Betting on the Ohio State Buckeyes (7-0, 3-0 Big Ten)
The Ohio State Buckeyes will head to their Big Ten showdown against Rutgers with momentum on their side after destroying Penn State, 38-10, on Saturday. It was another convincing victory for the Buckeyes, who improved their record this season to 7-0. They have won their first seven assignments by a whopping average of 20.7 points.
[sc:NCAA240banner ]Providing the impetus for Ohio State’s sizzling start has been their phenomenal offense. The Trojans are averaging 37 points per game this season, 24th in the entire FBS.
Leading the way for the Buckeyes in their game against the Nittany Lions was J.T. Barrett. Although he finished the game with only four pass attempts, he completed all of them with two touchdown throws to boot. He also complemented that perfect passing performance with an impressive ground attack, rushing for 102 yards on 11 carries.
The question now for head coach Urban Meyer is who among Cardale Jones and J.T. Barrett will be his starting quarterback against Rutgers. Jones has been the Buckeyes’ starter for all seven of their games this season, but he has struggled mightily with his form of late. He completed just 9 of 15 passes for 84 yards in the game against Penn State.
That being said, the money’s on Barrett starting for Ohio State this coming Saturday. The one advantage Barrett has over Jones is his play inside the red zone. Barrett’s red zone completion percentage of 83.3 is more than 50 percentage points higher than that of Jones’.
The Buckeyes are 9-0 SU and 6-3 ATS in their nine last road games.
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Betting on the Rutgers Scarlet Knights (3-3, 1-2 Big Ten)
The Rutgers Scarlet Knights returned to winning ways on Saturday with a dramatic 55-52 victory over the Indiana Hoosiers at Memorial Stadium. It was a huge bounce-back win for the Scarlet Knights, who suffered a gut-wrenching 31-24 defeat to Michigan State the previous weekend. With the victory, Rutgers improved its record this season to an even 3-3 slate.
Key to Rutgers’ comeback victory was its excellent play on the defensive end, particularly in the final quarter. They wiped out a huge 25-point deficit by converting three fourth-quarter turnovers into touchdowns. The Scarlet Knights scored 28 unanswered points to turn a 52-27 deficit into a 55-52 lead. Indiana and Rutgers combined for 1,223 yards of offense and 15 touchdowns in this game. The 107 combined points was the second-highest total score ever recorded at Memorial Stadium.
Pulling off that same offensive feat won’t be easy for the Scarlet Knights, though, as standing in their way in the next match are the red-hot Buckeyes. Ohio State is 19th in the FBS in total defense, allowing just 302.3 yards per game. The Buckeyes have also held opponents to just 16.3 points per contest this season, 13th in the entire FBS.
The pressure then is on quarterback Chris Laviano to continue his excellent play against the Buckeyes. He completed 28 of 42 passes for a career-high 386 yards with three touchdowns and an interception in the game against Indiana. In addition to that, the Scarlet Knights also need to put the clamps on Ohio State star running back Ezekiel Elliott for them to stand a chance this coming weekend. Elliott notched his 12th straight 100-yard game on Saturday, rushing for 153 yards and a touchdown against Penn State. However, the Scarlet Knights actually fancy their chances of stopping Elliott, as they are 30th in the FBS in rushing defense, allowing just 126.2 yards per contest.
Rutgers is 6-4 SU and 5-5 ATS in its last 10 home games.
Writer’s Prediction
Ohio State wins, 42-17.
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