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The Arkansas State Red Wolves take on the Ohio State Buckeyes. Check out our college football odds series for our Arkansas State Ohio State prediction and pick.
The Ohio State Buckeyes are a fascinating team to evaluate after Week 1 of the college football season. Yes, the Buckeyes got the job done against Notre Dame. They won the most high-profile game of the past weekend, playing a tougher opponent than any other top-five team. That's a significant accomplishment, regardless of the outside context or circumstances. However, the outside context is certainly very interesting. Ohio State managed just 21 points. Sure, Notre Dame has what appears to be an elite defense. However, we do have to wonder if Ohio State's offense and C.J. Stroud will completely dominate the rest of their 2022 opponents. Ohio State did not crush the opposition throughout the 2021 season. Stroud and his teammates needed several weeks before they got into a groove in October and carried that groove through most of the rest of the season (but not against Michigan in late November).
C.J. Stroud struggled in September of 2021, so he definitely has a lot to prove in this game, even though it's a cupcake game against a Sun Belt Confernence opponent. Stroud needs to treat Arkansas State like Iowa or Wisconsin. He needs to establish a very consistent standard of elevated performance and not wait until October to kick into high gear. If he wants to win the Heisman Trophy, if he wants to lift Ohio State back to the College Football Playoff, Stroud needs to show that the Notre Dame game was solely the product of the Fighting Irish having an elite defense. He needs to make sure no one questions the Ohio State offense coming out of this Week 2 game versus Arkansas State, which defeated Grambling in its first game of the new season and is obviously not expected to make this game remotely close.
Courtesy of FanDuel, here are the Arkansas State-Ohio State College Football odds.
College Football Odds: Arkansas State-Ohio State Odds
Arkansas State: +44.5 (-114)
Ohio State: -44.5 (-106)
Over: 68.5 (-110)
Under: 68.5 (-110)
Why Arkansas State Could Cover the Spread
The Red Wolves played an FCS team in Week 1, so there's only so much we can go on when evaluating the Red Wolves. However, if you're going to play a very weak team, the best statement to make is to hammer that opponent. Arkansas State won 58-3, so the Red Wolves obviously did a few things right in that game. If their defense, which did not allow a touchdown, carries that level of performance and effort into this game against Ohio State, the Red Wolves might be able to hold Ohio State under 50 points. If Arkansas State allows 49 points in this game, merely scoring one touchdown (or two field goals) would be enough to cover the very large spread.
Why Ohio State Could Cover the Spread
After the offense struggled against Notre Dame, you should expect C.J. Stroud to score early and often against Arkansas State. Ohio State is loaded with talent and speed. No one questions this. The Buckeyes should feel they have something to prove here, and will not lazily jog through this game before entering Big Ten play. Ohio State being motivated to prove itself on offense is the engine which will propel the Buckeyes to a 63- or 70-point performance, in which case they will very likely cover the spread.
Final Arkansas State-Ohio State Prediction & Pick
Ohio State will score at least 59 points if not more. The Buckeyes, who have a very strong defense, will cover.
Final Arkansas State-Ohio State Prediction & Pick: Ohio State -44.5
