The Army Black Knights, tough the college football betting underdogs, defeating the Ohio State Buckeyes, doesn’t seem, compared to a few weeks ago, as implausible as it did then, though it’s still rather improbable. This will be first-ever meeting between the two programs, and, for Army, the first and possibly only game against a ranked team this season. OSU was ranked No. 2 in the preseason poll, but has, for reasons which will soon be seen, dropped to No. 8.
- Date: Saturday, September 16th
- Time: 4:30 PM
- Venue: Ohio Stadium, Columbus,
Online Sportsbook NCAA Football Lines:
Army +30½ (-110) 53 (-110) +4000
Ohio State -30½ (-110) 53 (-110) -10000
This is What Happens When you’re Worse Than Purdue
The Buckeyes were beaten, nay, emasculated, when, following Saturday’s 16-31 loss to the Oklahoma Sooners, opposing quarterback Baker Mayfield planted, and this not just a figure of speech, a flag smack in the middle of Ohio Stadium.
Final from #TheShoe pic.twitter.com/bvHKw34X4Y
— Ohio State Football (@OhioStateFB) September 10, 2017
Meanwhile, Ohio State’s own QB, JT Barrett, is not dispelling, but rather confirming, the widespread notion that he is, in fact, not a big-game quarterback. OSU is currently averaging fewer yards per play than Purdue, has a passing efficiency which at 125.43 ranks 11th in the Big Ten and 89th nationwide, and has had 10 red zone possessions in two games, but has scored just five touchdowns. Barrett’s job, which so far has yielded 487 passing yards, three touchdowns and one interception, nonetheless is, at least for the time being secure. All things considered, the Buckeyes, who seem to be still reeling from losing to Clemson in the CFP, have enough talent, even if most of that talent appears to be dormant at the moment, to put Army away, though not necessarily enough to cover the 28-point college football betting spread – which they have covered only once in both their last five overall games and their last five at home.
Army is not Monken Around
Black Knights head coach Jeff Monken, though he may still quite a ways away from returning the program to its mid-40s glories, has certainly turned the ship around, posting, last year, Army’s first winning record since they were known as the Cadets, and currently enjoying, for the first time since 1988, a five-game winning streak – including, after defeating Fordham and Buffalo, a 2-0 start to this season. The Knights rallied, against Buffalo, in the fourth quarter, from a 10-point deficit, and sealed, with the dreaded Fake Punt of Doom, the comeback victory.
While OSU’s pass defense ranks last in the FBS, it’s safe to say that Army will not be exploiting that particular weakness. The Black Knights’ first and only two complete passes came against Buffalo, which means that they defeated Fordham without bothering to complete a single pass. If a dual-threat QB is that whom can run as well as pass, one would think a single-threat QB would, by default, be, at the very least, a proficient passer. But one would, in the case of Army quarterback Ahmad Bradshaw, be wrong. Bradshaw has, so far this season, passed for 17 yards but run for 324 yards and two TDs. the college football betting total has, in 15 of Army’s last 23 overall games and five of their last six road games, gone under.