The champs are back. The inaugural College Football Playoff champion No. 1 Ohio State Buckeyes will kick off their title defense on the road against the only team that beat them last season – the Virginia Tech Hokies.
Ohio State returns a host of key pieces from its championship-winning team and will be looking for revenge against Tech. However, suspensions to some key personnel – including top defensive player Joey Bosa – should give the Hokies hope of pulling off back-to-back upsets on the Buckeyes.
Get a full breakdown of the Buckeyes’ first game of the season with our complete preview below. And for more Week 1 previews of the top CFP contenders, check out our previews of No.20 Wisconsin vs. No.3 Alabama and No.2 TCU vs. Minnesota.
[sc:NCAAFArticles ]Ohio State Buckeyes vs. Virginia Tech Hokies Preview
Where: Lane Stadium, Blacksburg
When: Monday, September 7, 8:00 PM ET
Line: Ohio State Buckeyes (-11.5) at Virginia Tech Hokies (+11.5) – view all NCAA Football lines
Betting on the Ohio State Buckeyes
Ohio State was already pretty good last year – they went 14-1 (10-5 against the spread), and won the first College Football Playoff in impressive fashion – but they could be even better this year, as their +175 odds to repeat at +300 odds to go undefeated bear out.
[sc:NCAA240banner ]On offense, they return four starters on the offensive line, quarterbacks J.T. Barrett and Cardale Jones (who led them to the Big Ten championship and both CFP games), as well as CFP Offensive MVP and +600 Heisman frontrunner, Ezekiel Elliot.
Meanwhile, the Ohio State defense that was last seen shutting down Marcus Mariota’s Oregon offense will return stars like Adolphus Washington and Darron Lee in that fearsome front seven.
Of course, they easily could have gone undefeated last season, but Virginia Tech came into Columbus and shocked the Buckeyes, 35-21. Barrett, who was just making his second career start in that game, was a mess. He went just 9-for-29 for 219 yards, with two touchdowns (one passing, one rushing) and a career-high three interceptions.
Barrett eventually became a Heisman-caliber quarterback shortly thereafter, as he compiled 3,774 total yards, 45 total touchdowns and a 169.82 QB rating (second only to Mariota) before going down with his season-ending ankle injury. There’s still no official word on whether he or Cardale Jones will get the start against Virginia Tech, but “all signs” point to the much-improved Barrett getting the chance to avenge his only career loss.
Barrett will be without H-backs Jalin Marshall and Dontre Wilson, as well as wide receiver Corey Smith – three of the team’s top receivers from last season – due to suspension. But with Elliot, who’s rushed for close to 700 yards with eight touchdowns in his last three games, and former star quarterback-come-H-back Braxton Miller, Barrett has enough weapons in that Buckeyes offense.
Speaking of suspensions, star defensive end Joey Bosa (13.5 sacks last season) will also be suspended against the Hokies. But even without Bosa, the Buckeyes should have sufficient depth and talent along the D-line to keep an underwhelming Hokies offense that averaged just 24.1 points per game last season in check.
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Betting on the Virginia Tech Hokies
Despite limping to another disappointing 7-6 record last season, Virginia Tech can lay claim to being the only team to beat the eventual national champions. The Hokies owed the huge upset to their impressive defense, which held the Buckeyes to a season-low 21 points as they sacked Barrett seven times and forced three turnovers.
That Virginia Tech defense was already really good (14th in the nation in scoring defense, 21st in total defense) and it’ll add a couple more key pieces that could make it the best in the nation this year. Tackle Luther Maddy returns from a medical redshirt to join a dominant defensive line that produced 48.0 sacks last season, fourth-most in the country. Cornerback Brandon Facyson also returns to anchor a very experienced and talented secondary.
With all the talent Ohio State will be missing in the passing game, it isn’t that hard to imagine a Virginia Tech defense – one that has had all offseason game-planning for this first matchup – slowing that part of the Buckeyes offense down and keeping the Hokies in the game.
However, the Hokies offense has played well below the defense’s level in recent years, and continues to have some question marks heading into this season. Quarterback Michael Brewer was pretty inconsistent in his junior year, with 18 touchdowns, 15 interceptions and a subpar 117.35 QB rating (88th out of 100 qualified QB’s in the FBS). In fairness to him, though, he did make some plays to beat Ohio State last year.
The offensive line has also had issues, but could be much better with four experienced linemen returning. With Bosa missing, they should give Brewer a bit more time to pick out his receiving targets, particularly the sophomore trio of Isaiah Ford, Bucky Hodges and Cam Phillips. All three had at least 40 receptions as freshmen last year and combined to catch 16 of the team’s 19 receiving touchdowns.
Writer’s Prediction
Virginia Tech’s defense is the real deal, and with the suspensions on the Ohio State offense, the Hokies are able to hold on and cover +11.5 at home against the defending champs.
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