Buckeyes open as heavy favorite for primetime date with Ohio

COLUMBUS — Ohio State pummeled Grambling State on Saturday to move to 2-0 on the season. The Buckeyes are the top-ranked team in college football again this week.

But there was an upset in the state of Ohio on Saturday afternoon, and it came about an hour southeast of the Horseshoe. The Ohio Bobcats hosted West Virginia and scored a win over the Mountaineers in a MAC vs. Big 12 matchup.

Now Ohio State will face that same Ohio team on Saturday evening for a primetime matchup. The Buckeyes will do so as a 33.5-point favorite for the game in Ohio Stadium. The total is set at 53.5 points, according to the folks at BetMGM.

Ohio State is 2-0 against the spread so far this season. The Bobcats are also 2-0 against the spread. The Buckeyes haven’t lost an in-state matchup since 1894, when Buchtel College (now Akron), led by head coach John Heisman, beat them at the Ohio State Fairgrounds.

Now Ohio State will face its latest in-state test, this time against the defending MAC champions and a team coming off a program-defining win over a regional rival and Big 12 opponent.

The Buckeyes will do so as a large favorite, but it’s not a game Ohio State will be able to completely coast through like typical in-state matchups.

Results so far

Ohio State so far: 14-7 win over No. 7 Texas, 70-0 win over Grambling State
Ohio so far: 34-31 loss at Rutgers, 17-10 win over West Virginia

Latest AP Poll

With a second-week tune-up in the rearview mirror, Ohio State will move on to a primetime showdown against the Ohio Bobcats, who upset Big 12 foe West Virginia on Saturday afternoon.

The full AP Poll can be found below.

AP Poll Top 5 (Sept. 7)

1. Ohio State (57 first-place votes)
2. Penn State (5)
3. LSU (2)
4. Oregon (1)
5. Miami