Ohio State installed as a big favorite in 2018 season opener against Oregon State

With the 2017-2018 season now squarely in the rearview mirror, the sights of the college football world are now set on the fall. Coming off of a 12-2 record and a top-5 finish, the expectations are again going to be high for the Ohio State Buckeyes, despite the fact that they are saying goodbye to J.T. Barrett, the most decorated quarterback in Big Ten history.

However, Barrett’s absence under center doesn’t seem to have hampered the oddsmakers’ confidence in the Buckeyes. According to 247Sports, online sportsbook 5Dimes.eu has installed Ohio State as a 30.5-point favorite to beat the Oregon State Beavers in their season-opening matchup on Sept. 1, 2018.

Despite being a Power-5 team, the Beavers finished the 2017 season with an abysmal 1-11 record, going winless in the Pac-12, their only win coming against FCS’s Portland State, 35-32.

Oregon State did play a Big Ten team in 2017, as they hosted Minnesota in Corvallis, Ore. The Gophers beat the Beavers 48-14 in early September. The one common opponent between the two OSUs was the USC Trojans. Ohio State beat USC 24-7 in the Cotton Bowl, while the Men of Troy knocked off Oregon State 38-10 in October.

The Beavers will be looking to turn their fortunes around as they welcome in new head coach Jonathan Smith, who comes from one of the Pac-12’s best programs in recent years, the Washington Huskies. Smith has served as the quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator since 2014.

The battle of OSUs will open the 2018 season for both schools. Kickoff time and TV broadcasting plans will be announced at a later date.