The college football betting season commences this upcoming weekend. Since the colossal event that is the Mayweather vs. McGregor boxing match will be going down this Saturday, there might not be that many USA sportsbook fans tuning in for the 2017 season’s opening day. But fans need not tune in for opening day to take advantage of top sportsbook sites’ lucrative action on Week 1 of the FBS seasons. Bettors could for example, refrain from watching any contests until the Ohio State Buckeyes travel to Indiana to take on the Hoosiers.
Accounting for last season’s results, fans should expect online sportsbooks to heavily favor the Buckeyes in this game. However, this will be the first team either of these teams has stepped onto the gridiron this season. Will the Hoosiers be able to take advantage of opening day nerves? Let’s take a look at what USA sportsbooks are predicting for this pairing.
Ohio State Buckeyes vs. Indiana Hoosiers – Thursday, August 31st
Start Time: 8:00 pm ET
Venue: The Rock, Bloomington, Indiana
TV Broadcast: ESPN
Online Stream Options: Watch ESPN
USA Sportsbook Lines:
Ohio State Buckeyes -20 ½ (-110) 56 ½ (-110) -1400
Indiana Hoosiers +20 ½ (-110) 56 ½ (-110) +925
The Buckeyes are coming off an 11-2 (8-1 in Big Ten play) season that saw the program finish second in the East Division. Ohio State performed well enough to earn an invitation to the College Football Playoffs, where they faced the reigning FBS champion Clemson Tigers in the Semifinal round. The Buckeyes got manhandled pretty badly in that game, which ended up being the annual Fiesta Bowl, 0-31. The Buckeyes did have a highlight towards the end of the season however: their 30-27 triumph over Michigan in ‘The Game’. In 2017, Ohio State will be looking to make their journey back to the postseason and avoid a shutout this time around.
USA sportsbooks aren’t giving the Hoosiers a fighting chance in this contest. And it’s not much of a surprise, considering that Indiana turned in a 6-7 (4-5 in Big Ten play) losing record for 2016. With that disappointing finish, the Hoosiers earned a 4th place ranking in the East Division. In the annual Old Oaken Bucket, Indiana surprised rival Purdue 26-24 to earn bragging rights for a year. The season ended in disappointment however, since the Hoosiers barely lost the Foster Farmer Bowl 24-26 to Utah.
https://twitter.com/HoosierFootball/status/893203495335194625
Picks: Naturally, most USA sportsbook fans will be siding with the Buckeyes in this contest. Ohio State enters the 2017 season as the second best team in the nation – in the eyes of the Associated Press. Indiana, comes in unranked and with a heap load of questions.
That said, there isn’t much value in picking Ohio State straight up. So what are some better options? Considering that the Buckeyes had 5 players leave for the NFL draft – 3 of which were on defense, it stands to reason that Ohio State shouldn’t have any problems with their offense out of the gate. With that in mind, bettors can find better value by betting on the spread or totals lines. Intertops sportsbook is offering some appealing value on this particular line.
