Ohio State Football: Buckeyes must beat Nebraska to stay alive in Big Ten race

Ohio State football returns to the field after an upset loss to Purdue. The Buckeyes host Nebraska hoping to rebound and stay in the Big Ten hunt.

The College Football Playoff didn’t fall completely out of reach for Ohio State when they lost in West Lafayette in Week 8. If they sweep through their November schedule and beat whoever emerges out of the West for the Big Ten title, a one-loss Buckeyes squad will get to play in the semifinals for a chance to reach the national championship.

If they do win out, it will likely be thanks in large part to Dwayne Haskins. While Alabama’s Tua Tagovailoa and Oklahoma’s Kyler Murray have received the bulk of the Heisman hype, no quarterback throws for more touchdowns per game than Haskins — and only Washington State’s Gardner Minshew throws for more yards per game. Coupled with the two-headed rushing attack of Mike Weber and J.K. Dobbins, the Buckeyes have the talent to get back on track quickly.

They have a downtrodden Nebraska team that suddenly finds themselves on an upswing after two straight wins. The Cornhuskers lost six straight to start the season, so a loss in Columbus ends their longshot dreams of bowl eligibility. Scott Frost will have his alma mater playing hungry on their visit to the Horseshoe.

Even after the two-game winning streak, though, there are plenty of indicators to signal that a win over Ohio State would be more stunning than Purdue’s victory. Not only would it come on the road, but it would also be the first time since 2013 that Urban Meyer suffered back-to-back losses. A Nebraska team that allows more than a field goal more on average than they score will need to play a perfect game to have a shot.

But that’s why they play the games. After all, nobody thought Purdue would win either. Here’s how you can watch the Saturday game between No. 8 Ohio State and Nebraska:

Date: Saturday, Nov. 3
Time: 12:00 p.m. ET
Location: Columbus, Ohio
Venue: Ohio Stadium
TV: FOX
Live Stream: FOX Sports Go | FuboTV

Keys to Victory

First and foremost, Nebraska needs to stop taking so many penalties posthaste. One of the half-dozen worst teams in the country in flags and yards lost, the Cornhuskers cannot afford to beat themselves on the field. Even if they have the most disciplined game of the year, though, they also need Adrian Martinez to play a near-perfect game like he did against Minnesota. That’s a much taller task against the Buckeyes defense than it is against the Gophers.

Ohio State, meanwhile, needs to shore up their deficiencies especially against the run that were exposed by the Boilermakers. They also need to find more consistency in their own ground game, after the Buckeyes finished with only 76 yards on 25 carries in the loss to Purdue. The Buckeyes could also stand to perform better in the red zone, as they rank outside the top 100 in both offense and defense inside the 20.

Betting Odds

Odds courtesy of oddsshark.com

Point Spread: Ohio State -20.5
Over/Under: 71

Prediction

Don’t overthink this one. Urban Meyer’s squad is going to be angry after losing their shot at perfection against a heavy underdog. They won’t make the same mistakes twice, and Nebraska is going to be the cannon fodder that had the misfortune of catching a Buckeyes team needing a big rebound.

Final Score: Ohio State 52, Nebraska 24