College Football Betting – Ohio St vs Navy

Updated: August 28, 2014
college football betting

New QB Leads Ohio State Against Navy

The Ohio State Buckeyes recently got some shocking and unsettling news about the young man who not only was supposed to be their field leader, but also a candidate for the Heisman Trophy. On Saturday they will take to the field for the season opener against the Navy Midshipmen in college football betting action that is scheduled to get underway at Noon ET at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore.

Ohio State had high hopes to contend for the four-team national championship playoff, and they are trying to maintain those hopes despite losing quarterback Braxton Miller for the season. They will insert a freshman as they go up against Navy, which employs a veteran at the helm of its option offense and ranked second in the nation in rushing last season.

Ohio State is currently ranked fifth in the nation by the Associated Press, and sixth in the USA Today poll. The Middies, who beat Middle Tennessee in the Armed Forces Bowl last season, could vault into those polls with a victory.

In the college football betting lines that have been posted on this game by the people at VietBet, the Buckeyes are the big favorites:

Ohio State Buckeyes -16.5
Navy Midshipmen +16.5

Over 55.5 Points -110
Under 55.5 Points -110

Miller, who threw for 2094 yards and 24 TD’s last year, with 1068 yards on the ground, has suffered a shoulder injury and was ruled out for the season. he is going to be replaced by J.T. Barrett, a redshirt freshman. The way coach Urban Meyer talks, he is perfectly comfortable with Barrett running the spread option offense, and indeed Meyer has recruited quarterbacks specifically for this attack. So perhaps college football bettors shouldn’t sell the Buckeyes short. Barrett will have plenty of help as he operates, including running back Ezekiel Elliot, who averaged a robust 8.7 yards a carry last season. Wide receiver Jeff Heuerman tallied almost 18 yards per reception.

If VietBet customers want to see some numbers, they should look at the Navy offense. Keenan Reynolds was brilliant running the triple option scheme last season, totaling 1346 yards with 31 TD’s, which set an NCAA record for quarterbacks. He also threw just two interceptions in 126 attempts. While he was the leading rusher, Navy usually has running backs in profusion, and they trailed only Auburn among Division I teams in 2013 with 324 yards rushing per game.

It has been said that this may be the best team Ken Niumatalolo has had in Annapolis, and this is close to being a home game for the Midshipmen. Still, there is a certain athletic superiority on the part of Ohio State, and there is going to be that lingering problem on the part of Navy in stopping the run: they allowed 4.5 yards per carry last season after permitting 4.8 in each of the two seasons prior to that. One also has to consider that Ohio State has had additional time to get itself prepared to face this option attack.

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By Charles Jay
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