Tulane at Ohio State
Time: 2:30 PM CT
Spread: OSU -37
Total: 68

Odds c/o 5dimes

Ohio State is 3-0 after winning its first three weeks by a combined score of 169 to 62. The Buckeyes now host conference foe Tulane as 37-point favorites in Week 4, with an over/under set at 68 points according to college football oddsmakers at 5dimes. The game will air at 2:30 CT on the Big Ten Network.

Ohio State

Ohio State will not face its first real challenge until next week when it travels to face Penn State, but first, it must overcome Tulane as heavy favorites. Tulane is 1-2 on the season and is just 1.3 percent to win this game according to ESPN’s Football power index. The Buckeyes average 56.3 points per game this year while surrendering just 20.7, and Ohio State also averages over 600-yards per game thus far. Sure, its first three opponents were cupcakes, but the dominance the Buckeyes have shown is resplendent of their year-in-and-year-out competitiveness, even after suffering a bit of controversy to begin the year, which resulted in Urban Meyer’s three-game suspension.

OSU quarterback Dwayne Haskins has looked great so far in completing 66 of 91 passes (72 percent) for 890 yards and 11 TDs, with just one interception. His passer rating is 192.4, and he is averaging 9.78 yards per attempt. Haskins’ top-two receiving options have been KJ Hill and Terry McLaurin, both of who have caught for over 200 yards through three games, and combined for four TDs between them.

Ohio State has three more receiving options with 130 yards or more, and Mike Weber has been strong in the backfield with 6.1 yards-per-carry on his 46 attempts. JK Dobbins has added another 268 yards on 45 rushing attempts (6.0 per), and he has one of the eight OSU rushing TDs. Weber has three.

Kicker Sean Nuernberger has connected on 3 of 4 field goal attempts, with his miss coming from between 30 and 39 yards. He has also knocked down all 22 of his PATs.

Tulane

Tulane Lost in week 1 to Wake Forest, won 42-17 over Nichols State in week 2, and it lost 31-24 to UAB last week. The Green Wave are led by QB Jonathan Banks, who has completed 37 of 77 passes for 651 yards. While his 48.1 percent completion ratio is troubling, he has thrown five TDs with just one interception. Corey Dauphine has rushed for 236 yards on 19 carries with a 69-yard TD rush this year. His 12.4 yards-per-carry is perhaps the brightest spot in the Tulane offense, and Darius Bradwell has had success too (5.3 yards-per-carry and a No. 2 on the team 207 yards).

Darnell Mooney has been dynamic as a receiver too, with 308 yards on the season on his 18 catches and a team-high three TDs. The Green Wave offense can do its thing, but it will need Banks to make better passes and continue to capitalize on its two strong backfield performers. Most troubling for Tulane is the fact it gave up 31 points last week to UAB, so there is little telling what Meyer’s team can do to a defense as weak as Tulane’s.

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