Ohio
Ohio State vs. Nebraska football prediction: What the analytics say
Coming off an open week and following its first loss of the season, No. 4 Ohio State returns home against conference rival Nebraska on Saturday. Let’s take a look at the latest prediction for the game from an analytical model that picks matchups.
Ohio State is 1 point away from being undefeated after a loss at Oregon two weeks ago and needs to not get caught looking ahead to another critical road test coming up at Penn State next week.
Nebraska is in danger of falling under .500 in Big Ten play after getting trounced by new contender Indiana last week, playing some solid defense up to that point, still allowing under 18 points per game, but averaging only 25 on the other side, ranking 90th nationally.
Looking ahead to this week’s matchup, let’s check out the latest college football predictions from the Football Power Index computer prediction model.
The model simulates every NCAA college football game 20,000 times and uses key analytics from both teams and picks winners based on a projected scoring margin per game.
As expected, the simulations are siding strongly with the Buckeyes over the Cornhuskers.
Ohio State is projected to win the game outright in the overwhelming 96.5 percent of the computer’s most recent simulations of the matchup.
That leaves Nebraska as the expected winner in the remaining 3.5 percent of sims.
In total, the Buckeyes come out ahead in 19,300 of the index’s simulations, while the Cornhuskers edge out OSU in the other 700 predictions.
When it comes to projecting a margin of victory, the index predicts a sizable win for the Buckeyes on the scoreboard, too.
Ohio State is projected to be 29.7 points better than Nebraska on the same field in both teams’ current composition, according to the model’s latest forecast.
If so, that would be enough for the Buckeyes to cover the spread.
That’s because Ohio State is a 25.5 point favorite against the Cornhuskers, according to the updated lines at FanDuel Sportsbook.
FanDuel lists the total at 48.5 points for the game (Over -110, Under -110).
And it set the moneyline odds for Ohio State at -6000 and for Nebraska at +1800 to win outright.
Thus far, most bettors are giving the edge to the Buckeyes over the Cornhuskers, according to the latest spread consensus picks for the game.
Ohio State is getting 61 percent of bets to beat the Huskers and cover the big spread in the process.
The other 39 percent of wagers project the Cornhuskers will either win the game in an upset, or more likely, will lose the game by 25 points or fewer.
Ohio State is second among Big Ten teams with a 78 percent chance to qualify for the College Football Playoff, according to the FPI’s metrics.
That model gives the Buckeyes a win total prediction of 10.7 games this season.
Nebraska is eighth in the conference with a 0.1 percent shot at the new 12-team playoff.
And the Cornhuskers are projected to win 6.5 games this season by the index’s calculations.
Football Power Index (FPI) college football rankings and computer prediction models are a measure of team strength that predicts a team’s future performance.
Rankings and score predictions are based on 20,000 simulations of a team’s season and games, using a combination of key analytics, including scores to date, quality of opponents, team talent, recruiting, and a team’s schedule.
Teams are ranked not in order of talent like in other rankings, but by a projected point margin per game against an average team on a neutral field.
First-place votes in parentheses
- Oregon (59)
- Georgia (2)
- Penn State
- Ohio State
- Texas
- Miami
- Tennessee
- LSU
- Clemson
- Iowa State
- BYU
- Notre Dame
- Indiana
- Texas A&M
- Alabama
- Kansas State
- Boise State
- Ole Miss
- Pittsburgh
- Illinois
- Missouri
- SMU
- Army
- Navy
- Vanderbilt
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Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.
If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, please call 1-800-GAMBLER.
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More college football from SI: Top 25 Rankings | Schedule | Teams
Follow College Football HQ: Bookmark | Rankings | Picks
Ohio
Ohio State Defensive End Mitchell Melton Entering the Transfer Portal for Final Year of Eligibility
Mitchell Melton will play a sixth year of college football, but it won’t be at Ohio State.
The fifth-year Ohio State defensive end opted to enter the transfer portal on Sunday, according to multiple reports.
Ohio State linebacker Mitchell Melton is entering the transfer portal, a source tells @CBSSports/@247Sports.
Melton, who is repped by @APSportsAgency, is a former top-185 overall recruit who has 12 tackles and two sacks this year.https://t.co/9Xz4TxxKfX pic.twitter.com/He1Laiy5vp
— Matt Zenitz (@mzenitz) January 6, 2025
Initially recruited to Ohio State as a linebacker, Melton moved to defensive end after missing the entirety of the 2021 and 2022 seasons due to injuries. He’s seen occasional playing time as a rotational player over the past two seasons, recording 15 total tackles with 6.5 tackles for loss and three sacks.
Had Melton stayed at Ohio State for the 2025 season, he likely would have remained in a backup role for the Buckeyes. While Jack Sawyer and JT Tuimoloau will exhaust their eligibility after this season, Kenyatta Jackson Jr., Caden Curry and incoming Idaho State transfer Logan George are the most likely candidates to lead Ohio State’s depth chart on the edge next season. C.J. Hicks is also a potential candidate to become a full-time edge player next season.
Melton still has another year of eligibility because he took a redshirt in 2021 after all players received an extra year of eligibility in 2020. With Melton and Patrick Gurd departing, Ohio State will not have any members of its 2020 recruiting class on its roster next season, as the rest of its scholarship players from that class (Gee Scott Jr., Josh Fryar, Ty Hamilton, Cody Simon and Lathan Ransom) who remain with the Buckeyes are set to exhaust their eligibility after this season.
Ohio
Gamethread/How to watch Northwestern at Ohio State: TV, radio, streaming, injury report
Northwestern women’s basketball will face off against No. 10 Ohio State to open up the 2025 portion of its season. The ‘Cats (7-7, 0-3 B1G) head into the New Year, coming off back-to-back conference losses against Washington and Oregon. A win would be an ideal wait to start this next slate of 15 Big Ten games, but Ohio State (13-0, 2-0 B1G) is undefeated and has proven to be among the best in the country. The Buckeyes not only lead the Big Ten in points per game with 85.9 but sit 10th nationally, while also housing a top-30 scoring defense.
Broadcast Information
Location: Schottenstein Center (Columbus, Ohio)
Game Time: 12 p.m. CST
TV/Streaming: B1G+
Radio: WNUR Sports
Northwestern Injury Report
Rachel Mutombo — OUT
Lauren Trumpy — OUT
Crystal Wang — OUT
Taylor Williams — QUESTIONABLE
Ohio
Ohio task force launches resources, recommendations for how to use AI in schools
While artificial intelligence, or AI, continues to grow and improve, infiltrating classrooms across the region, some educators are feeling stuck.
More than a dozen districts had AI policies in place when The Enquirer surveyed local school systems at the start of the school year. But dozens of others didn’t know where to start.
“The issue is so complex a topic,” Norwood City School District Superintendent Mary Ronan wrote in an email to The Enquirer. “AI touches everything from Siri to spell-checkers to ChatGPT to software that moves students to different skill levels based on their response and on and on. Districts need guidance from professionals in the field to encompass all the issues.”
That guidance has finally come.
The Ohio Department of Education and Workforce launched the Ohio AI in Education Strategy in December. The toolkit includes recommendations for AI policies. The guidance also has resources on how to incorporate AI literacy into education preparation programs and how to integrate AI into Ohio’s learning standards.
Lt. Gov. Jon Husted led a coalition of educators, industry representatives, AI experts and other professionals to develop the recommendations, which can be found online. On the site, there are resources for teachers, parents and policymakers.
“This toolkit is not intended as a mandate to use artificial intelligence in education, but instead as a trusted and vetted resource that will aid Ohio’s educators and parents in their mission to prepare our students for this emerging technology,” the executive summary on the website reads.
Below are the coalition’s recommendations for K-12 school districts:
- Form an AI task force.
- Establish a policy governing the use of AI in schools.
- Offer AI professional development and support for staff.
When it comes to creating AI policies, the coalition recommends:
- Clearly define how students and staff should use AI.
- Provide standards for maintaining privacy and personally identifiable information.
- Include guidelines on how to use AI ethically.
- Consider and outline how to evaluate AI tools from third party vendors.
- Consider how AI use might impact learning objectives and student assessments.
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