Buffalo-Ohio St
Time: Noon ET, Aug 31 2013
Spread: OSU -34.5
M/L: OSU -33000, BUF +11000
O/U: 55.5
Odds ? 5dimes
Ohio State finished a perfect 12-0 in 2012 and would have played in the Big Ten title game, but the Buckeyes had a one year postseason ban. This year, the team enters with hopes renewed and the sanctions lifted, and the team is focusing on making it to the Rose Bowl and winning the National Title. Urban Meyer relentlessly criticized his OSU squad, saying the team was “not ready” frequently, and he lamented the way the Buckeyes squandered big leads.
Perfection is all that really matters with Meyer, and he knows it will be a good while before he ever achieves it. Even an undefeated record isn’t perfect for Meyer, and his two national titles at Florida indicate the level of success the coach is capable of. OSU may not be as good as those Gators teams yet, but they have the potential to be, and that is enough to keep Buckeyes fans’ hopes alive of dominating the Michigan Wolverines, first and foremost.
Meyer made the most of the multi-talented quarterback Braxton Miller. Miller lacks the size most likely to play QB at the NFL level, but he represents a workhorse caliber QB in the NCAA. His speed makes him difficult for linemen to peg and he has a strong arm when he does use it. Miller led the team in passing (2,039 yards) and rushing yardage (1,271 yards) last season, and teams frequently went hard at him because he was the majority of the Buckeye talent offensively. It ultimately resulted in Miller suffering an injury, but he would battle back to finish out the season. He has a reasonable chance at the Heisman this season, so keep an eye on Miller in futures betting if OSU gets a full head of steam early in the season.
Buffalo starts Joe Licata at QB. The Bulls’ offense will heavily feature senior running back Branden Oliver, who suffered a lot of injuries last season. The Bulls could be very competitive in the MAC if Oliver does stay healthy, but the team is certainly no match for their opponent this week. Head coach Jeff Quinn is in his fourth year and is just 9-27, and the team won just one-third of its games last season. The Bulls are fortunate to duck Northern Illinois and Ball State in conference play and just given the quality of returning talent they have to be considered a possible conference champion, if all fell right.
BUFFALO BETTING TRENDS:
UNDER is 7-0 in last 7 on turf. UNDER 4-1 last 5 on road. 3-9 ATS in last 12 non-conf games.
OHIO STATE BETTING TRENDS:
5-1 ATS in last 6 vs MAC. 1-4 ATS last 5 non-conf. UNDER 7-3 in last 10 non-conf. games.
