Akron vs Ohio State Betting Prediction & Picks 8/31/2024

The Akron Zips will take on the Ohio State Buckeyes at Ohio Stadium on August 31, 2024 at 3:30 pm ET. DraftKings Sportsbook has the Buckeyes as massive 50.5 point favorites at home, with the total for the game set at 58.5 points. With Ohio State watching its bitter rivals win the national championship last season, it will be interesting to see how they come out of the gate to kick off the 2024 season.

Akron In a Tough Season Opening Spot

The Akron Zips went 2-10 last season and were somehow only the second-worst team in the MAC thanks to the presence of an even worse Kent State team. The Zips averaged just 16.25 points per game last year and they are not expected to get near that number in this Akron vs Ohio State matchup from Columbus. The implied team total for Akron is set at around three to four points for this game, which could still be a tough number for them to reach against the Ohio State defense.

Akron's quarterback situation is interesting going into this season-opening matchup from Ohio. Ben Finley won the starting job for the Zips after four years of very limited action at NC State and Cal. While Finley is used to being around power conference atmospheres in his career, having to go into Ohio State and actually deliver as a starting quarterback is an entirely different task.

Will Howard Opens Ohio State Career

The Ohio State Buckeyes lost to Michigan in their annual rivalry game at the end of the regular season last year. That meant no trip to the Big Ten Championship Game or the College Football Playoff, while Michigan went onto win both of those titles. This year, Ryan Day's team has a new starting quarterback that they hope will mean positive results, starting with this non-conference matchup with the Zips.

Will Howard is the starting quarterback for Ohio State to start this season, coming off of a year where he had over 3,000 yards combined between passing and rushing at Kansas State. Whether or not Howard can deliver against Michigan, Oregon. and the other elite teams in the Big Ten remains to be seen. But he should be fine in this game as Ohio State has very little to worry about in this opening matchup against one of the worst teams in FBS competition.

Akron vs Ohio State Best Bet

You may see a point spread of 50.5 points and understandably not want anything to do with it, which is understandable. But the best bet for Akron vs Ohio State is for the Buckeyes to cover the spread as a 50.5 point favorite in this non-conference matchup. Ohio State has typically crushed smaller conference opponents in these early season spots and we expect no different here as the Buckeyes look to run through some lesser competition before this year's crazy Big Ten season gets going.

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