Ohio State at Rutgers: Betting trends to watch

Ohio State travels to New Jersey to take on the Rutgers Scarlet Knights today. After coming close to defeating Michigan last weekend, Rutgers is hoping to pull a program-defining upset against the Buckeyes.

Ohio State has been cold prior to today’s game against Rutgers. While they’ve found ways to win, their offense and defense have both been struggling.

However, Ohio State has never lost to Rutgers. Since joining the Big Ten, Ohio State has used Rutgers as a reprieve from other stiffer competition they normally face.

Luckily for the Scarlet Knights, head coach Greg Schiano is familiar with the Buckeyes. Before returning to Piscataway, Schiano was the defensive coordinator for Ohio State.

While defeating Ohio State may be a tall-task for Rutgers, it may be their best shot they’ve had at the Buckeyes in program history. In addition to the hype surrounding the matchup, there’s a plethora of betting opportunities to keep an eye on.

Ohio State-Rutgers betting trends via ESPN:

To begin, Ohio State travels to Rutgers as huge favorites — the Buckeyes are favored by 15 points over the Scarlet Knights. Additionally, the over/under is set at 58 points for today’s game.

Additionally, Ohio State is 7-2-1 against the spread in their past ten games as a road favorite. Can they add to their impressive record against the Scarlet Knights?

Next, one trend that could cause trepidation is Rutgers’ ability to recover after a loss. In their last six games following, Schiano’s squad is 5-1 against the spread. Of course, Rutgers lost to Michigan last weekend.

Additionally, the Scarlet Knights thrive as underdogs. In their last ten games where they’ve entered as underdogs, Rutgers is 8-2 against the spread.

Finally, Ohio State could be motivated by the fact that Rutgers is perfect against the spread this season. The Scarlet Knights are one of only six teams who have covered in every game in 2021.

Ryan Day on C.J. Stroud

After CJ Stroud sat out of Week 4 against Akron, Ohio State coach Ryan Day gave an update on the starting quarterback. Day expects Stroud to return to action after Kyle McCord took his place against the Zips.

“I thought C.J.’s had a good week of work, so looking forward to getting him back on the field this week,” Day said. “I think it allowed him an opportunity to heal up and rest up his shoulder, but also a little bit of a different perspective. When you watch practice, when you watch the game from the sideline, you just see things from that lens, it helps, so I’m hoping that pays off here.”

While Stroud has been a rollercoaster in 2021, we’ll see if he can find a happy-medium against Rutgers today.