Rutgers Football Opens As 5+ Touchdown Underdog Against #2 Ohio State

It should be no surprise that Rutgers is a heavy underdog going into Saturday’s matchup at #2 Ohio State. The line opened at 37 points last night and the Wynn in Las Vegas is currently listing the Buckeyes as 38.5 point favorites. It’s possible the line will move the other way as the week goes on, but that remains to be seen.

Ohio State will host Rutgers on homecoming weekend and are fresh off their bye from last weekend. The Buckeyes are 3-0 and fresh off a shellacking of then ranked #14 Oklahoma, handily beating the Sooners on the road 45-24. They are averaging 57 points a game on offense, led by Heisman candidate J.T. Barrett.

Considering Rutgers lost to #10 Washington by 35 points in the season’s opening game, the point spread should not be surprising. Add in the fact that Rutgers will be playing this game without their best playmaker in Janarion Grant, as well as starting defensive tackle Quanzell Lambert, both of whom have been reported to be out for the season, it could have been opened at a wider margin.

This week will be a major test for head coach Chris Ash to motivate the team and get them prepared to face his former team and mentor in Urban Meyer. Of course, Rutgers will also be facing former head coach Greg Schiano, who replaced Ash as co-defensive coordinator for the Buckeyes, for the first time since he left the banks in 2012. Saturday will be a homecoming in multiple ways on both sidelines.

Rutgers takes on #2 Ohio State at noon ET with the TV channel yet to be determined. It will most likely be aired on BTN. It will be the Big Ten opener for the Buckeyes. Rutgers is looking to rebound from a close loss to Iowa. We will have the updated depth chart for this game and a breakdown of Ash’s press conference, which should include injury updates, later on this afternoon.