Ohio State’s cushion against Oregon has been shrinking all week, and that says plenty about the tension hanging over Saturday’s showdown.
The Buckeyes opened as 10.5-point favorites when the line first came out on Sunday. Since then, injuries have surfaced and the matchup has taken shape, and the number has slid all the way to 7.5 points just hours before kickoff. That leaves Ohio State as only a little more than a one-score favorite.
There’s a strong case to be made that the Buckeyes still offer value at that number. But the market has clearly been telling its own story, and the public has pushed the spread down as the game approaches.
The pressure on Ohio State is impossible to ignore. Last week’s loss to the USC Trojans is still fresh, and the College Football Playoff committee made the situation even more stark when it placed the Buckeyes at No. 12 in its first ranking, leaving them as the first team out of the field.
The message from the committee was simple: Ohio State has to keep winning. The Buckeyes need to run the table from here if they want a shot at the trophy, and any loss outside of the Big Ten Championship Game would send them home and leave a season of high expectations short of its goal.
Oregon is walking into this with its own urgency. The Ducks have been through a rough season, but they arrive in Columbus with the most confidence they’ve had all year. The committee gave them the same basic instruction it gave Ohio State, slotting them at No. 23 and leaving their season alive only if they win out.
That makes Saturday feel like a true survival game for both teams. Ohio State is trying to steady itself after a damaging loss, while Oregon is trying to keep its season from slipping away. The line keeps moving, and the stakes keep rising.
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Ohio State Still Has A Path But Two Problems Need Fixing Fast
Cris Carter still sees a route for Ohio State to salvage its season and stay in the College Football Playoff conversation, but the path is getting narrower by the week. The Buckeyes have already felt the sting of recent losses, and with national championship expectations never far from the surface in Columbus, the margin for error has basically disappeared.
What stands out now is how much has to come together at once. The defense needs to tighten up, Luke Fahey has to keep developing, and Ryan Day is carrying the kind of pressure that comes with every big-game stumble. The next stretch will say plenty about whether Ohio State can steady itself in time to keep its postseason hopes alive. [Read more 🡒]
Ohio State Faces One Oregon Threat Fans Can't Ignore
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For Ohio State, the attention naturally shifts to Jeremiah Smith, who has been one of the teams top performers this season and a central part of the Buckeyes passing game. With both sides bringing high-end receiver talent into a game that could shape the playoff picture, the early read is that big plays and momentum swings may decide more than just the box score. [Read more 🡒]
Jeremiah Smith Enters A Weekend That Could Change Everything For Ohio State
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For Ohio State, Smith sits in the middle of that buzz, with every big performance carrying extra weight for both his trophy case and the sports card market that tracks these breakout moments so closely. The stakes are bigger than one Saturday, too, because wins and losses in these spotlight games can alter playoff paths and change how quickly a candidates profile rises, leaving this weekend with the potential to redraw the Heisman picture in a hurry. [Read more 🡒]