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Ohio State vs. Nebraska football prediction: What the analytics say

Published

1 year ago

October 23, 2024

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

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How difficult is Ohio State football’s 2026 schedule? See breakdown

Published

5 hours ago

January 30, 2026

Press Room

How difficult is Ohio State football’s 2026 schedule? See breakdown

Just how difficult is Ohio State’s 2026 football schedule? And how does it stack up against other Big Ten opponents’ schedules?

After an early matchup against Texas, the Buckeyes have a difficult stretch of Big Ten opponents including games against Oregon and Indiana, two 2025 College Football Playoff teams.

After a bye week, the Buckeyes will also travel to Los Angeles to play USC, which owns the top recruiting class in 2026 according to 247Sports.

See how Ohio State’s schedule might stack up against other Big Ten opponents.

2026 Big Ten opponents’ 2025 conference winning percentage

While college football teams look vastly different year to year due to graduating players and transfers, Ohio State’s 2026 Big Ten opponents combined have a stronger 2025 conference win-loss percentage than any other team’s opponents. The other 2025 CFP teams, Oregon and Indiana, rank fifth and sixth on the list.

Ohio State – 0.629
Northwestern – 0.580
Michigan – 0.568
Nebraska – 0.568
Oregon – 0.556
Indiana – 0.531
Washington – 0.531
USC – 0.519
Iowa – 0.506
Michigan State – 0.494
Purdue – 0.493
Minnesota – 0.481
Rutgers – 0.469
UCLA – 0.469
Illinois – 0.444
Maryland – 0.432
Penn State – 0.420
Wisconsin – 0.346

Ohio State football 2026 games against 2025 College Football Playoff teams

Including Ohio State, three Big Ten teams made the 2025 College Football Playoff. Indiana and Oregon, the other two teams that played against each other in the CFP semifinals, are on Ohio State’s schedule next season. While the Buckeyes will face Oregon at home, they will face the reigning national champion in Bloomington, Indiana.

Three teams in the conference – Northwestern, Nebraska and USC – will have to play all three 2025 CFP teams next season.

Teams facing three 2025 CFB teams:

Teams facing two 2025 CFB teams

Ohio State (Oregon, Indiana)
Illinois (Ohio State, Oregon)
Michigan (Ohio State, Oregon)
Washington (Oregon, Indiana)
Indiana (Ohio State, Oregon)

Teams facing one 2025 CFB team

Indiana (Ohio State)
Iowa (Ohio State)
Maryland (Ohio State)
Michigan State (Oregon)
Oregon (Ohio State)
Purdue (Indiana)
UCLA (Oregon)

Teams facing no 2025 CFB teams

Minnesota
Penn State
Rutgers
Wisconsin

2026 Opponents on USA Today’s way-too-early top 25 list

Since the end-of-the-year rankings fail to accurately represent how a team projects for the 2026 season, USA TODAY’s way-too-early top-25 poll can be used to judge Ohio State’s opponents.

Among Big Ten teams, Ohio State plays the most teams included in the top-25 list: Texas (No. 1), Iowa (No. 21), Michigan (No. 13), USC (No. 12), Oregon (No. 9) and Indiana (No. 4). The Buckeyes are No. 2 spot in the rankings.

See what matchups the rest of the conference has below:

Ohio State – 6 (Texas, Iowa, USC, Oregon, Indiana, Michigan)
Northwestern: – 5 (Indiana, Oregon, Ohio State, Iowa, Penn State)
Michigan – 5 (Ohio State, Iowa, Penn State, Indiana, Oregon)
Washington – 5 (Indiana, Oregon, Penn State, USC, Iowa)
Nebraska – 4 (Indiana, Oregon, Ohio State, Iowa)
USC – 4 (Indiana, Ohio State, Oregon, Penn State)
Purdue – 4 (Notre Dame, Penn State, Indiana, Iowa)
Rutgers – 4 (USC, Indiana, Michigan, Penn State)
Wisconsin – 4 (Notre Dame, Penn State, USC, Iowa)
Oregon – 3 (USC, Ohio State, Michigan)
Indiana – 3 (USC, Ohio State, Michigan)
UCLA – 3 (Oregon, Michigan, USC)
Illinois – 3 (Iowa, Ohio State, Oregon)
Maryland – 3 (Ohio State, USC, Penn State)
Michigan State – 3 (Notre Dame, Michigan, Oregon)
Penn State – 3 (USC, Michigan, Iowa)
Iowa – 2 (Ohio State, Michigan)

Ohio State ‘cross-country’ trips compared to Big Ten opponents

Last season, the Buckeyes had one trip to the West Coast, to open up Big Ten play against the Washington Huskies. This season, Ohio State once again has one West Coast trip, to face USC, but the Buckeyes will be coming off a bye entering the game.

USC, on the other hand, has a trip to Wisconsin before facing Ohio State the following week. Ohio State will also travel during its nonconference season to play Texas, which is 1,237 miles away.

No eastern Big Ten travels to play a West Coast Big Ten opponent more than once in the 2026 season. West Coast teams (USC, Washington, Oregon, UCLA) travel at least three times for road matchups against eastern Big Ten opponents. USC has the most road matchups in the Midwest: Wisconsin, Indiana, Rutgers and Penn State.

2026 Ohio State football schedule

All times TBD

Sept. 5: vs. Ball State
Sept. 12: at Texas
Sept. 19: vs. Kent State
Sept. 26: vs. Illinois
Oct. 3: at Iowa
Oct. 10: vs. Maryland
Oct. 17: at Indiana
Oct. 24: OFF
Oct. 31: at USC
Nov. 7: vs. Oregon
Nov. 14: vs. Northwestern
Nov. 21: at Nebraska
Nov. 28: vs. Michigan

Dan Aulbach covers breaking and trending sports for The Columbus Dispatch. Email him at daulbach@dispatch.com and follow along X for more.

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Pilot opens truck stops in Ohio and Texas

Published

17 hours ago

January 29, 2026

Press Room

Pilot opens truck stops in Ohio and Texas

Pilot announced the opening of truck stops in Ohio and Texas as well as the full-scale revamps of nine other locations.

In a January 29, 2026 release, Pilot announced the recent opening of two stores located in Findlay, Ohio, and Eagle Pass, Texas, with a combined 165 truck parking spaces.

Findlay, Ohio (11471 OH-613, off I-75, Exit 164) Pilot Store Amenities:

Subway and Taco Bell restaurants
8 fuel lanes
80 truck parking spaces
6 showers
DEF
CAT Scale
Game Room

Eagle Pass, Texas (4392 El Indio Hwy at TX-480 Loop & FM 1021) Pilot Store Amenities:

8 fuel lanes
85 truck parking spaces
9 showers
DEF

Pilot also announced that the following stores were updated with full remodels:

Flying J #461 – Tilbury, Ontario
Flying J #518 – Myerstown, Pennsylvania
Flying J #623 – Midway, Florida
One9 #1224 – Bismarck, North Dakota
Pilot #134 – St. Cloud, Minnesota
Pilot #180 – Bellemont, Arizona
Pilot #209 – Van Horn, Texas
Pilot #448 – Hebron, Indiana
Pilot #1028 – Buffalo, Texas

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Cleveland.com boys basketball state rankings: Defending champ proving its one of Ohio’s best regardless of division

Published

1 day ago

January 29, 2026

Press Room

Cleveland.com boys basketball state rankings: Defending champ proving its one of Ohio’s best regardless of division

CLEVELAND, Ohio — While weather conditions put some games in Northeast Ohio on ice, plenty of showdowns took place in the last week across the state.

Lutheran East continued to establish itself as a top program, regardless of division, with its 64-55 win Saturday at Garfield Heights during a Scholastic Play By Play Classic showcase. That event also saw Euclid come away with a 66-51 win vs. Reynoldsburg, which had been ranked in the cleveland.com state rankings.

That has changed since last week, but Lutheran East strengthened its hold atop Division V. Euclid remains one of the top teams in Division II, while Garfield Heights’ positioning in Division III is unaffected this week.

The No. 1-ranked teams in all seven divisions remain in place since last week, including Lakota West in Division I and Lima Senior in Division II.

See how the state stands with the top 10 teams in each of Ohio’s seven divisions for boys basketball. Results and records are based on what has been reported through Tuesday’s games to MaxPreps, which is providing the official RPI ratings for OHSAA postseason seeding.

DIVISION I

1. Lakota West (15-1)

2. Newark (16-0)

3. St. Ignatius (10-5)

4. St. Edward (13-2)

5. Cincinnati Princeton (13-1)

6. Lewis Center Olentangy (15-1)

7. Canton McKinley (13-2)

8. Brunswick (13-3)

9. Hilliard Bradley (14-2)

10. Huber Heights Wayne (12-3)

Also considered: Centerville (10-5), Dublin Coffman (12-3), Kettering Fairmont (10-5), Upper Arlington (11-4).

DIVISION II

1. Lima Senior (10-1)

2. Cincinnati Winton Woods (12-0)

3. Westerville North (11-1)

4. Brecksville-Broadview Heights (14-0)

5. Euclid (11-4)

6. North Canton Hoover (11-4)

7. Massillon Washington (11-1)

8. Toledo St. John’s Jesuit (11-5)

9. Highland (13-2)

10. Solon (9-5)

Also considered: Austintown-Fitch (10-4), North Royalton (10-4), Sunbury Big Walnut (8-5), Toledo St. Francis de Sales (7-5)

DIVISION III

1. Garfield Heights (10-5)

2. Toledo Central Catholic (10-2)

3. Trotwood-Madison (12-1)

4. Columbus Bishop Hartley (11-3)

5. Alliance (14-2)

6. Youngstown Ursuline (12-3)

7. Youngstown Chaney (12-2)

8. Hamilton Badin (13-3)

9. St. Vincent-St. Mary (9-7)

10. Miami Trace (13-2)

Also considered: Akron Garfield (13-3), Cincinnati Archbishop McNicholas (13-4), Cincinnati La Salle (11-4), Columbus Bishop Watterson (11-3), Columbus Centennial (14-3), Defiance (11-4), Lima Shawnee (11-4), Wapakoneta (12-3).

DIVISION IV

1. Maysville (13-1)

2. Cincinnati Wyoming (15-0)

3. Dayton Northridge (15-1)

4. New Concord John Glenn (13-1)

5. Cincinnati Taft (10-3)

6. Canfield (14-2)

7. Sandusky Perkins (15-0)

8. Glenville (10-6)

9. Warrensville Heights (9-5)

10. Van Wert (13-3)

Also considered: Brookside (12-2), Caledonia River Valley (10-5), Circleville (13-2), Kettering Archbishop Alter (10-6), Norton (15-0), Ontario (14-3), Ottawa-Glandorf (10-3), Plain City Jonathan Alder (12-4), Shelby (9-4), Urbana (12-3).