What to know about betting on Ohio State football
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COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — For the first time, Ohioans will be legally allowed to wager on an Ohio State football game.
When the clock struck midnight on New Year’s Day 2023, Ohio joined the growing list of states where you can legally bet on sports. At the same time, the Buckeyes’ hopes of a national championship ended when kicker Noah Ruggles missed a potential winning field goal in a playoff semifinal against Georgia.
This left people hoping to wager on Ohio State waiting nine months.
The Buckeyes kick off the season Saturday at Indiana, a team they haven’t lost to since 1998. The sportsbooks have took notice of this and have the Buckeyes as a massive favorite once again.
Odds are from DraftKings Sportsbook
Latest odds
Moneyline: Ohio State (-9000), Indiana (+2500)
-The “Moneyline” bet is picking which team will win the game. The team with the negative odds is the favorite and the team with positive odds is the underdog.
-If you bet on Ohio State and they win, you would need to bet $9,000 to win $100. If you bet on Indiana and they win, you would win $2,500 on a $100 bet.
Spread: Ohio State (-30, [-110]), Indiana (+30, [-110])
-The “Spread” bet is picking both a possible winner and the margin of victory. The team picked as the favorite has to win the game by a certain amount (called “covering”) while the underdog either has to win or lose by a certain amount.
-If you bet on Ohio State to cover, they have to win the game by 31 points or more for the bet to win. To win $100, you have to bet $110.
-If you bet on Indiana to cover, they have to win the game or lose by 29 points or less for the bet to win. To win $100, you have to bet $110.
-If Ohio State wins by 30, the bet becomes a “push” and you get your money back. This is why its more common to see half numbers (e.g., 30.5) on spread bets.
Total: 59 points (Over & Under, [-110])
-The “Total” bet is picking the total amount of points in the game combined between both teams.
-If you bet the over, at least 60 points has to be scored to win the bet. If you bet the under, the total has to be 58 points or less to win the bet. For both bets, to win $100, you have to bet $110.
-If the total is 59, the best becomes a “push” and you get your money back.
Betting trends
This game has been historically high scoring with either the Buckeyes routing the Hoosiers or the two teams having a shootout. The total points has gone over in six consecutive games and in seven of the last 10.
Indiana has nearly always been underdogs against Ohio State and have been able to cover the spread more often than not. The Hoosiers had covered the spread against the Buckeyes six consecutive times from 2011 to 2016 but have only covered in two of the last five games. Indiana was only 18-point underdogs in 2019 but lost by 41, setting a recent trend of Ohio State being more than 21-point favorites each game since.
2022 was the largest spread ever set for an Ohio State-Indiana game at 40 points, according to OddsShark. The Buckeyes won by 42. The Scarlet & Grey have also been able to score in bunches in this matchup with six consecutive games against Indiana with at least 40 points. OSU’s total points line is set at 44.5 (Over, -120; Under, -110).
Props watch
-Ohio State is favored to win the first half by 17.5 points (+100). The Buckeyes covered that first-half spread only five times last season in 13 games.
-OSU’s total touchdowns line is also an available bet at 5.5 (-145). The Buckeyes have scored at least six touchdowns in its last six games against Indiana.
-The first quarter spread has Ohio State as 7.5-point favorites (+100). 2022’s game was the first time since 2013 the Buckeyes led Indiana by more than a touchdown through the first 15 minutes.
Longest odds wager available
On DraftKings Sportsbook, you can wager on Indiana to beat Ohio State by a margin between 19 and 24 points. With +10000 odds set for that bet, a $100 bet would cash for $10,000.
