We have you covered with our college football odds series with a Minnesota–Ohio State prediction and pick.
After picking up an impressive two-game win streak against a ranked Iowa team and Michigan State, the Minnesota Golden Gophers have significantly cooled off. Now on a two-game losing streak, their most recent loss came on the road at Purdue. Minnesota's highest-scoring game this season was a close 28-20 game at halftime but saw Purdue pull away late. Although quarterback Hudson Card had a great game, passing for 251 yards and three touchdowns, Minnesota allowed Purdue to go on a 21-10 run to close the game and win by a final score of 49-30. In their last road game of the year, Minnesota will be looking to make a statement against the #2 Ohio State Buckeyes.
Even though they had a dominant win in week 11, the Ohio State Buckeyes saw themselves fall a spot in the College Football Playoff rankings, primarily due to their easier matchup against a weaker Michigan State squad. However, they won this mismatch in a dominating fashion. They did not allow the Spartans to score a single touchdown and won 38-3. Quarterback Kyle McCord had one of the better games of his career as he threw for 335 yards and three touchdowns. For the Buckeyes to be in prime position for their game at Ann Arbor next week, they must continue taking care of business against Minnesota.
Here are the college football odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
College Football Odds: Minnesota-Ohio State Odds
Minnesota: +27.5 (-115)
Ohio State: -27.5 (-105)
Over: 49.5 (-114)
Under: 49.5 (-106)
How to Watch Minnesota vs. Ohio State Week 12
Time: 4:00 p.m. ET/1:00 p.m. PT
TV: BTN
Stream: fuboTV (Click for free trial)
Why Minnesota Will Cover The Spread
Coming into this game with a significant advantage in the run game over their opponents, the Minnesota Golden Gophers will have to lean on this attack if they want to cover. Led by Jordan Nubin and Zach Evans, Minnesota ranks fifth in the Big Ten with 160.4 rushing yards per game. Although it hurts that star running back Darius Taylor has been out since October, Minnesota has more than enough capable backs that have picked up the slack. In Nubin's three starts since Taylor has been out, he has tallied an average of 122.7 rushing yards per game, 4.5 yards per carry, and added on two touchdowns. To succeed, the Golden Gophers will have to rely on this ground game against a Buckeyes defense, allowing 112.4 yards per game. If they do so, this cover will be easy money.
Matched up against Kyle McCord is no easy task. However, Minnesota has the secondary to do so. With three players with two or more interceptions on the year, this secondary is led by the other half of the Nubin duo, Tyler Nubin. Nubin ranks third in the Big Ten in interceptions with four and has added four pass deflections and one forced fumble. He will be one of Marvin Harrison Jr.'s tougher matchups this season, and if he can contain him, it will be difficult for the Buckeyes to score in bunches.
Why Ohio State Will Cover The Spread
Although he received loads of criticism to begin the season, Ohio State's Kyle McCord has bounced back in a big way. The Junior quarterback is second in the conference and 20th in the nation in passing yards. While these yardage numbers are nice and flashy, where he has succeeded is with his efficiency. McCord has a 66.3% completion percentage on the year and has completed 73.0% or more of his passes in back-to-back games. For the Buckeyes to cover this steep line and score in bunches, they will need McCord to continue this level of play, and there is no reason to believe that he will be slowing down any time soon, especially against a Minnesota defense allowing 25.8 points and 364.0 yards per game.
On the other side of the ball, the Buckeyes pass defense has been incredible all season. Denzel Burke and Josh Proctor have been great in the secondary, as both have at least one interception and seven pass deflections. They have been crucial in limiting opponents to only 149.8 yards passing per game, the second-fewest in the conference and the entire country. Most notably, they limited Sam Hartman and Drew Allar to under 200 yards passing, and neither threw for more than one touchdown. It is tough to think that Minnesota quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis will fare any better.
Final Minnesota-Ohio State Prediction & Pick
The second to last game of the season is a must-win for both teams involved. If they want to reach the Playoffs, Ohio State cannot lose this easy game to an unranked opponent. Minnesota, at 5-5, is one win away from bowl eligibility and has a tough matchup against Wisconsin after this, so if they desperately want to rip the band-aid off now and secure this postseason berth. With plenty at stake for both teams in this game, I will lay the steep points line with Ohio State. After falling a spot in the rankings, and a week before the biggest game of the year, the Buckeyes will want to win in dominating fashion. McCord will have another excellent performance, and I cannot imagine the Minnesota offense scoring in bunches against this Buckeyes defense. Give me the Ohio State Buckeyes at -27.5.
Final Minnesota-Ohio State Prediction & Pick: Ohio State Buckeyes -27.5 (-105)
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