Free NCAA Football Prediction: Buckeyes vs. Golden Gophers
Looking for Ohio State Buckeyes vs. Minnesota Golden Gophers free picks? College football betting sees the Buckeyes taking on the Golden Gophers on Thursday, September 2nd, at TCF Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, MN. Cappers Picks provides complimentary handicapping picks all NCAA football season long so stay tuned for more FREE college football game Week 1 predictions like this Ohio State Minnesota free pick.
College Football Handicapping Analysis: Week 1
(0-0) Ohio State Buckeyes vs. Minnesota Golden Gophers (0-0)
Date: Thursday, September 2nd, 2021
Time: 8:00pm EST
Venue: TCF Bank Stadium, Minneapolis, Minnesota
NCAA Football ATS Spread Odds: Buckeyes -14 | Golden Gophers +14
NCAA Football Moneyline Odds: Buckeyes -600 | Golden Gophers +400
NCAA Betting Total Odds: O/U 66
Week 1 kicks off on Thursday night with the Ohio State Buckeyes and Minnesota Golden Gophers.
Both sides had to do some retooling in the offseason, but aspirations are high on both sides for this season.
Live on FOX, this one kicks off what should be an entertaining start to the college football season here.
Ohio State Buckeyes
Ohio State comes in with a new face under center this season. CJ Stroud was delegated the quarterbacking duties and will have a lot of pressure on him early on.
Ohio State will start the season at number 4 in the country, as still do return some key pieces. RB Master Teague is one of these pieces that they will feed off early on. The RB has 256 carries, that has seen him rush for 1408 yards and 13 touchdowns.
Along with him the Buckeyes offensive line will be a key. They are projected to have one of the best offensive lines in the conference and it should be able to provide Stroud and company with a lot of protection to open the season against this Minnesota pass rush.
One key to note here is Ohio State is just 2-5 ATS in the last 7 head to head meetings.
Minnesota Golden Gophers
Minnesota will lean heavily on the defensive side this season, especially in this matchup. The Golden Gophers return a lot of starters on defense and will need them to slow this attack down by Ohio State. Expect a lot of blitz packages from them as they will likely try to put the pressure on Stroud early in this one.
The key offensively for them will be to establish the run game as well.
Running the ball and chewing clock has always been their recipe for success. QB Tanner Morgan can provide a lot of issues for opposing defenses once a run game is establish with a lot of run/pass options.
Minnesota has also been a nice backing as an underdog. They are a solid 10-4 ATS in their last 14 games as an underdog.
This is a lot of points to give to them as they have fared well in matchups with top tier teams in the conference.
NCAA Football Handicapping Trends
- Golden Gophers are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 conference games.
- Underdog is 5-2 ATS in their last 7 meetings.
- Buckeyes are 7-3 ATS in their last 10 road games.
Free Week 1 NCAA Football Pick
Given the replacements the Buckeyes have to fill, they may have some rust here.
4* Free Week 1 NCAA Betting Pick: Minnesota +14
Two touchdowns is far too many here. Look for this one to be a slower paced game, with Minnesota working the run game in early to eat a lot of clock.
If you’re looking for more picks like this Ohio State Buckeyes vs. Minnesota Golden Gophers matchup we’ll be providing 4* free College football game predictions on the blog all season long, and check out our Experts for guaranteed premium & free CFB Football picks!
Register here for a FREE NCAA Football Betting Account Now for Daily Free Picks & More Special Offers!
