Tulsa Golden Hurricane vs. Ohio State Buckeyes Betting Odds, Football Pick

Including an easy season-opening win over Bowling Green, the Ohio State Buckeyes are now 26-1 straight up over their last 27 games. But even with the cover, OSU is only 2-8 against the spread in its last 10 home games, thanks in part to inflated spreads.

The Buckeyes will play as big home favorites again when they host the Golden Hurricane of Tulsa on Saturday afternoon at the Horseshoe in Columbus, Ohio.

Point spread: Buckeyes opened as 28.5-point favorites, according to sportsbooks monitored by Odds Shark. (Line updates and matchup report)

College football pick, via Odds Shark computer: 52.2-21.3 Buckeyes (College football picks on every game)

Why the Tulsa Golden Hurricane can cover the spread

Tulsa opened its second season under head coach Philip Montgomery with a 45-10 blowout of San Jose State last Saturday. That game was tied late into the first quarter, but the Hurricane scored 38 of the last 41 points on their way to an easy cover as four-point favorites.

On the night Tulsa outgained the Spartans 512-287, rushing for 305 yards, and won the turnover battle 3-0, returning two turnovers for touchdowns.

The Hurricane returned 14 starters this season, seven on each side of the ball, from a team that went 6-7 last year. As well, Tulsa is 7-0 ATS in its last seven road games.

Why the Ohio State Buckeyes can cover the spread

The Buckeyes spotted Bowling Green an early touchdown on a J.T. Barrett pick-six, then rolled from there on their way to a 77-10 victory and an easy cover as 28-point favorites. 

Ohio State piled up a new school record 776 yards of total offense, 359 on the ground and 417 through the air, while the defense held Bowling Green to 244 yards and without an offensive touchdown.

Barrett, the talented junior, threw six touchdown passes and ran for another score, wide receiver Curtis Samuel caught nine balls for 177 yards and two scores and freshman running back Mike Weber, taking over as the main ground gainer, ran 19 times for 136 yards.

Ohio State only returned six starters for this season but still tops the odds on most Big Ten championship boards.

Smart pick

The Buckeyes are going to win this game; the only thing that really matters is the final margin. 

But Ohio State has also shown a tendency to take its foot off the gas under head coach Urban Meyer, going 10-12 ATS when favored by three touchdowns or more over the last four-plus seasons. On top of that, the Buckeyes might be looking ahead already to their big game at Oklahoma next week. 

Take Tulsa here, plus the points.

Betting trends

Ohio State is 26-1 SU in its last 27 games.

Ohio State is 2-8 ATS in its last 10 games at home.

Tulsa is 7-0 ATS in its last seven games on the road.

All college football betting lines and point spreads data courtesy of Bleacher Report’s official odds partner Odds Shark. All quotes gathered firsthand unless otherwise noted. Check out Twitter for injury and line movement updates and Odds Shark YouTube for picks and analysis, or download the free odds tracker app.