Ohio State football will prove it’s elite with dominant win over Nebraska

Ohio State football will kick off their chase to win the Big Ten and return to the playoff with a game against Nebraska.

After a tumultuous offseason, the Big Ten finally kicks off this weekend and one of the headlining games will be when Nebraska travels to Ohio State to take on the Buckeyes.

Ohio State will be looking to show that they are among the top teams in the country and should have that chance over a Nebraska team that is still rebuilding under head coach Scott Frost.

Both of these teams were at the forefront of trying to get the Big Ten back to playing football and it is only fitting that they are facing off on the first week of the season.

Last season, College GameDay went to this location when the game was being played at Lincoln and it did not go so well for Nebraska as Ohio State won by a score of 48-7. That was a sign that Ohio State was in for a dominant year, as Nebraska had a lot of preseason hype going into that game.

This season, Ohio State is one of, if not the most, talented team in the country. The Buckeyes have had to sit back and watch Clemson and Alabama take the spotlight for the first part of the season and they are anxious to show that they belong in that same conversation.

The Buckeyes are missing some elite talent with Chase Young, Jeff Okudah, J.K Dobbins, Damon Arnette, and K.J Hill all moving on to the NFL. Ohio State is a team that just reloads and should be just fine though.

Nebraska is a team that had a lot of hype going into last year, but that was erased pretty quickly with a loss to Colorado and then getting dominated by Ohio State. The Cornhuskers finished 5-7 and missed a bowl game for the second consecutive season under head coach Scott Frost. While the record may not show it, I do think Nebraska will be a much improved team, but their schedule is not friendly.

Here is how you can watch Nebraska vs Ohio State on Saturday:

Date: Saturday, Oct. 24
Time: 12 p.m. ET
Location: Columbus, Ohio
Venue: Ohio Stadium
TV: FOX
Live Stream: FOX Sports Go

Keys to Victory

For the Ohio State offense, they will be breaking in some new faces on the offensive line and at running back, with Oklahoma transfer Trey Sermon taking over for JK Dobbins, who had one of the best single seasons rushing in Ohio State history. Their effectiveness running the ball will be key early to open the vertical passing game for Justin Fields. If the Buckeyes establish the run early, this game will be over.

For the Ohio State defense, it will be breaking in a lot of new starters in the secondary and on the defensive line. Long term, the Buckeyes should be fine, but they can’t give up any big plays to Nebraska and give them any early momentum. Finding new key contributors will be key early on

For the Nebraska offense, quarterback Adrian Martinez has to play up to his talent level and be a distributor at quarterback. Martinez was hurt last season and could not get in a rhythm and that hurt the entire offense. The Cornhuskers should have a solid running game, but big plays are going to be needed in order to even keep this game close.

For the Nebraska defense, getting pressure on Fields and affecting throws will be huge. Fields has unbelievable accuracy and if he is not pressured, is as good as any quarterback in the country. The Cornhuskers defense was bad last season and they could not rush the passer. If they can’t pressure Fields, this game will be over quickly.

Betting Odds

Odds provided courtesy of The Action Network

Point Spread: Ohio State -26
Over/Under: 68.5

Prediction

Nebraska will be an improved football team in 2020, but Saturday won’t be evidence of it. Ohio State has been wanting to play because they know they are a national championship caliber team and they are going to show it on Saturday. Expect a big game from Justin Fields and for the Buckeyes defense to dominate on Saturday. Ohio State wins in a blowout.

Final Score: Ohio State 52, Nebraska 13