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How has Ohio State performed against the spread this season?

The old gambling saying goes, “Good teams win, but great teams cover.”

Ohio State v Michigan State Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images

Ohio State has obviously won each of its first six games on the schedule in the 2022 season — most of which by a large margin. But how have the Buckeyes performed in the eyes of those that have placed a wager on them against the spread in the first half of the year? Lets take a look at each of Ohio State’s wins thus far to see if they covered, and if not, why?

All lines courtesy of the DraftKings Sportsbook.


Ohio State 21 - Notre Dame 10

OSU - 17.5 (Did Not Cover)

Ohio State’s offense took a bit to get going in the first game of the season, and Ryan Day later admitted that some of the team’s struggles in this one were a result of too much of the game plan revolving around star wipeout Jaxon Smith-Njigba — who left the game early with an injury. The Buckeyes trailed 3-0 and 10-7 in the opener and missed a field goal that would have had the two teams tied going into halftime, but a third quarter touchdown by former walk-on Xavier Johnson put OSU in front, and a 14-play, 95-yard TD drive in the fourth quarter — led mostly by Miyan Williams — put the finishing touch on a 21-10 Ohio State win.

Ohio State 45 - Arkansas State 12

OSU -44.5 (Did Not Cover)

The Buckeye offense wasn’t exactly firing on all cylinders in the second game either, but it was still much improved from Week 1, scoring touchdowns on each of their first two offensive series to take a 14-3 lead. Ohio State would only score one more touchdown in the first half, however, and took a 24-9 lead into the break. It took C.J. Stroud and company three plays to score on their first drive of the third quarter, and a 51-yard TD by Emeka Egbuka on the ensuing possession made it 38-9 good guys. Arkansas State added one more field goal, and Ohio State would go on to score only one more touchdown with the backups taking over to start the fourth quarter, culminating in a 45-12 win for the Buckeyes.

Ohio State 77 - Toledo 21

OSU -31 (Covered)

There were no questions about Ohio State’s offense in Week 3, as the Buckeyes put up a whopping 77 points on Toledo in a nearly perfect performance on that side of the ball. OSU scored touchdowns on each of its first seven possessions, while the defense did its job to hold the elusive Dequan Finn and the Rockets to 21 points. C.J. Stroud was exceptional in this one, throwing for what is currently a season-high 367 yards to go along with five touchdown passes while completing 22-of-27 (81.5%) of his throws. Even the Buckeye backups got involved in this one, with TDs by Dallan Hayden, Jayden Ballard and TC Caffey.

Ohio State 52 - Wisconsin 21

OSU - 19 (Covered)

Wisconsin was supposed to be the first big test for Ohio State this season, at least after Notre Dame proved to not be all that great of an opponent after three weeks of action. The Badgers did not provide the stiff competition that we were looking for, however, and things got out of hand pretty quickly. The Buckeyes scored on six plays in their opening drive, and after an immediate Graham Mertz interception, OSU was up 14-0. A three-and-out by Wisconsin and another easy TD drive by Ohio State later, and Ryan Day’s squad held a nearly insurmountable 21-0 lead in just the first quarter. The Buckeye defense held the Badgers to just 11 first downs in the game, and Wisconsin did not have the firepower to dig themselves out of an early grave.

Ohio State 49 - Rutgers 10

OSU - 41.5 (Did Not Cover)

The Ohio State-Rutgers game played out the exact same way every meeting between these two teams have gone — with the Buckeyes winning big. A muffed punt by Egbuka gave the Scarlet Knights their first-ever lead in the all-time series, 7-0, but Ohio State rattled off 28 unanswered points to restore balance. A Rutgers field goal was met by three more OSU touchdowns, and it was once again a rout. This will forever be known as the Miyan Williams Game, as the third-year running back tied a program record with five touchdowns as he toted the rock for 189 yards on 21 carries.

Ohio State 49 - Michigan State 20

OSU -27.5 (Covered)

After an emphasis on the ground attack against Rutgers, Ohio State was back to the air against Michigan State. Stroud threw a pick-six in the first quarter of this one, but the Spartans never really threatened from there on out. Other than that one big mistake on some miscommunication, Stroud continued to pad his Heisman Trophy campaign, throwing for 361 yards and a season-high six touchdowns. Marvin Harrison Jr. collected his third career three-touchdown game, while TreVeyon Henderson rushed for 118 yards and a TD in the absence of Williams. Ohio State out-gained Michigan State 614-202 in the Buckeyes’ second straight blowout of the Spartans after defeating them 52-12 in Columbus last season.

Overall Record ATS: 3-3

Odds/lines subject to change. T&Cs apply. See draftkings.com/sportsbook for details.