Buckeyes vs Hoosiers CFB Betting Preview

The Ohio State Buckeyes will travel to Indiana to take on the Indiana Hoosiers on Saturday night at 7:30 p.m. EST coming off of a bye week. Indiana has struggled this season since the start of the year where they were ranked 17th. They are now 2-4 looking for any way to turn the season around.

The Buckeyes are 5-1 and ranked number five in the AP Top 25 Polls after making some adjustments following the Oregon loss. The Buckeyes are 3-0 in the Big Ten and Indiana is the exact opposite at 0-3.

The Hoosiers will have a tough task ahead of them against a talented Ohio State team who is looking for a chance to play in the College Football Playoff.

Odds

The Buckeyes are 21 point favorites on the road, coming in with -110 odds at -21. The Hoosiers are also -110 at +21. The over/under for the game is at 59.5 with the same odds of -110 to bet the over or the under.

The over has hit in nine out of the Buckeyes last twelve games. The under has hit every game for the Hoosiers in their last five Big Ten matchups. Indiana comes into this game 1-6 against the spread in their last seven games.

Keys to an Ohio State Victory

Ohio State is favored greatly in this matchup and rightfully so. Ever since the Oregon game, they have left any doubters in the dust with their strong victories. No team has finished within three touchdowns of them since then.

This is largely due to the fact that the offense is top class. They are ranked first in both yards and points per game. The defense has shown signs of strength after being termed a liability at the start of the season. If they are able to hit their stride now, they will be tough to beat in the Big Ten.

Keys to an Indiana Victory

Indiana has a high mountain to climb if they want to upset this talented Ohio State team. Michael Penix Jr. has thrown seven interceptions and four touchdowns, completing about 54% of his passes. He will need to play much better if he wants to give the Hoosiers a chance in this one.

The defense for the Hoosiers has been slightly better than the offense, but that is not saying much. They do rank 33rd in yards given up per game which may help prevent the Ohio State offense in making big plays. They will need to bring pressure and get some takeaways to put the pressure on the Buckeyes.

Expected Outcome

Ohio State should win this game with ease. They are loaded with talent on both sides of the ball and will be able to overpower this struggling Hoosiers team. I would expect them to cover as well but it may take them some time to adjust on the road.

The Buckeyes have more to play for than the Hoosiers at this point because one loss and they are out of the playoffs. This will not be a loss for the Buckeyes.