Army Black Knights (2-0 SU, 1-1 ATS) vs. Ohio State Buckeyes (1-1 SU, 1-1 ATS)
College Football Week 3
Date/Time: Saturday, September 16th, 2017 4:30 PM ET
Where: Ohio Stadium Columbus, Ohio
TV: Big Ten Network
by KEITH, NCAA Football Handicapper, Predictem.com
Point Spread: BUCKS -30.5
Over/Under Total: 49
The Army Black Knights (2-0) will continue their campaign of excellence as they travel to Columbus, Ohio to enter The Horseshoe as they take on the Ohio State Buckeyes (1-1). The game pits two historic programs against one another for a rare meeting. The affair is set to kick off on Saturday, September 16th, 2017 at 4:30 PM ET. The game is to be televised for audiences on the Big Ten Network.
The storylines in Columbus are somber ones as the Buckeyes come in off of a crushing loss suffered at home against the visiting Oklahoma Sooners. The Sooners as a touchdown-plus pooch came in and planted their field literally in the Ohio O at midfield. This was achieved on the heels of a 31-13 victory orchestrated primarily by Sooners quarterback Baker Mayfield. Mayfield has cemented his candidacy as a Heisman contender. Additionally, Oklahoma has been propelled to the #2 team in the AP Poll. The question remains how Ohio State will respond? Furthermore, what is coach Urban Meyers next move concerning the quarterback situation for the Scarlet and Grey. These answers will look to be discerned in the Bucks follow up efforts against the Black Knights when they come to town.
Dating back to 2016, the Black Knights have now won five games in a row. Their most recent exploit was a 21-17 donnybrook against the Bulls of Buffalo. Army came into the fixture as a 15-point choice at home but had to resort to theatrics to steal a win from the scrappy Bulls. Such a result could diminish the stock in this outfit be that Buffalo is regarded as one of the weakest teams in all of college football. Struggling against a bottom-feeder hurts the outlook of Army but this also sets them up perfectly to be a value play. The Black Knights have been favored in four of their previous five victories. Thus, the market is astute and aware of the proficiencies of this ball-club and have priced them accordingly. However, as a 5.5-point underdog the Black Knights were able to defeat their arch-rival Navy in the annual seasons end Army-Navy game. This victory could be argued to be the catalyst of the Army resurgence as they went on to emerge triumphant in the Heart of Dallas Bowl against North Texas, followed by their current 2-0 record. As is seen with many Military Academy teams, Army also dabbles in the triple option as a means of offense. Ohio State is not accustomed to seeing this style of play on a regular basis.
Regardless of whether this is categorized as a bounce-back opportunity for Ohio State, this contest sets up an ideal situation to take action on the Black Knights. Ohio State may enter this game flat because they are demoralized from the defeat they suffered at home. The Horseshoe is known as an impenetrable fortress when it comes to visitors. Oklahoma made it look rather easy. In addition, Ohio States College Football Playoff hopes could have been potentially dashed by such a nasty loss. For Bucky to have any chance at returning to college footballs biggest stage, the Buckeyes would have to run the table in the Big Ten and not lose again the rest of the way. Morale remains the question surrounding this program and given the fact that remains a mystery, they are by no means an optimal choice with spotting this amount of points. On the contrary, Army will be fired up and look to make as much noise as they can in this contest. In the 1950s, Army had a dynastic feel to their operations. Needless to say, recent history has not been so kind to the Black Knights or been indicative of previous dominance. Nevertheless, Army will see this an opportunity to further showcase their progression as a program. While we are not calling for an upset here by any stretch, the Black Knights can make this game far more interesting than the market assessment. We are positioned for a solid fade opportunity against what seems to be a popular consensus choice.
KEITHs Pick to Cover the Point Spread: ARMY +30.5. Bet your Army/Ohio St. pick at an online sportsbook where you can bet on games at -105 odds instead of the more expensive -110 price tag that your bookie is sticking you with! Making the switch to betting at discounted odds will save you TONS of cash! Find this great offer as well as 20 point teasers and parlays up to 25 teams at the web’s best bookmaker: 5Dimes.