The Buckeyes find themselves favored in five of six Golden Nugget sportsbook “games of the year” for 2014.
The Golden Nugget’s sports book’s released their 2014 game of the year lines, covering more than 200 of the highest profile games of next season.
Amongst them, the Buckeyes are featured in six of their games. Ohio State are just 14-point favorites in their season opening game in Baltimore against the Naval Academy. Given the difficulties in preparing for Ken Niumatalolo’s bunch and the fact that it’s the first game of the year (think the Buckeyes’ last time seeing Navy), it’s not entirely surprising. What is a bit of a surprise is how the lines that look for the big games that follow.
In arguably Ohio State’s highest profile non-conference game of the year, Ohio State is a whopping 18-point favorites over the Virginia Tech Hokies. If last year’s any indication, Frank Beamer’s bunch aren’t necessarily what they were in some of their best years of the 2000s, but 18 still seems like an awfully tall line, even at home. In the Buckeyes’ second biggest non-conference matchup, against in-state Cincinnati no less, Ohio State finds themselves 21-point favorites. That about falls in line based on what we know about the makeup of each teams.
In terms of conference games, OSU are 9-point favorites against Penn State on the road in Happy Valley. Though we can expect a potential white out and the same sort of conditions that saw some hostility between Nittany Lions backers and TBDBITL in year’s past, given their NCAA sanctions, a two score difference between the two sides doesn’t sound out of bounds.
OSU finds themselves underdogs in just one game of the year, against defending Big Ten champion Michigan State. In the rematch of last year’s Big Ten championship game, Ohio State finds themselves 1-point underdogs. It’s realistic to expect that line to oscillate a bit back and forth between the two schools in the lead up to the November showdown in East Lansing.
Finally, Ohio State is once again favored against arch rivals Michigan. OSU finds themselves 8-point favorites in this incredibly early line. It’s tough to say what the Wolverines will be come November after breaking in new offensive coordinator Doug Nussmeier.
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