Ohio State vs. Indiana Prediction, Odds, Trends and Key Players for College Football Week 1
By Reed Wallach
Ohio State will have a quarterback competition that spans into the season between Devin Brown and Kyle McCord.
It's becoming more common to see quarterback competitions run into the season as team's use the early week matchups as a barometer for which signal caller is better suited to lead the team into the more difficult parts of the schedule.
Brown and McCord will each get reps against Big Ten foe Indiana in Bloomington as the team enters as more than a four touchdown favorite.
Here's how I'm betting the Big Ten opener.
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Ohio State vs. Indiana Odds, Spread and Total
Indiana vs. Ohio State Betting Trends
- Ohio State went 5-6-1 against the spread (ATS) last season
- Ohio State went over in nine of 12 games last season
- Ohio State went 4-3 ATS as a favorite of 20 or more
- Indiana went 4-8 ATS last season
Ohio State vs. Indiana How to Watch
- Date: Saturday, September 2nd
- Game Time: 3:30 PM EST
- Venue: Memorial Stadium
- How to Watch (TV): CBS
- Ohio State Record: 0-0
- Indiana Record: 0-0
Ohio State vs. Indiana Key Players to Watch
Ohio State
Devin Brown and Kyle McCord: Both quarterbacks will get a chance to shine in the opener and try to separate themselves from one another. I expect both QB's to have monster outings with the likes of Marvin Harrison Jr. and Emeka Egbuka in the passing game against a porous Indiana defense. The Hoosiers were 98th in yards per play allowed and 114th in yards per pass attempt allowed, it may be hard to decipher both quarterbacks with such a soft landing spot.
Indiana
Tayven Jackson and Brendan Sorsby: As of now, Hoosiers head coach Tom Allen hasn't named a starting QB either, so there's a chance we see both. Jackson enters as a Tennessee transfer with dual-threat capabilities. The Hoosiers passing games was one of the worst in the country last season, 117th in EPA/Pass. While Ohio State may be a stiff first opponent, the offense needs to find some semblance of a passing attack in 2023.
Ohio State vs. Indiana Prediction and Pick
The Buckeyes are going to outpace the Hoosiers, who are far outmatched in every skill position group, but can Allen and the Hoosiers conceive a sound early portion of the game that keeps this competitive for the "scripted part" of the game. With the ability to enter the game in a controlled setting, can IU hit the ground running and keep the score reasonable before the half?
I believe so.
Yes, Ohio State has not one, but two quarterbacks who are gunning for the starting job and plenty of talent to work with, but the Hoosiers defense graded out elite slowing down explosive runs last season, 21st in that category, and just about the national average in yards per carry, allowing 4.14 (69th).
Indiana did play at a top five pace last season in terms of plays per minute, but with the new clock changes that could be impacted totals, there is a high likelihood that we see about one less drive per half, which could harm Ohio State's chance of opening up a big halftime lead.
In a road conference setting, I'll trust Allen to have the team ready to hang around before the game gets lopsided in the second half. I'll take IU to cover the first half spread.
Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.
Track Reed's bets here!