COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio State has a chance to give Ryan Day his longest win streak as its head coach.
OK, technically, that’s not completely true. Thanks to him being the interim head coach in the first three games of the 2018 season in place of a suspended Urban Meyer, technically, his longest win streak is 16. That includes games against Oregon State, Rutgers and TCU in 2018 plus winning the first 13 games of his official tenure in 2019.
That’s the win streak the record books honor since interims get those games on their resume. But as the official head coach, Day can surpass that 13-game streak on Saturday against UCLA as the Buckeyes come into the game with the country’s longest win streak, dating back to the four College Football Playoff games last season, and the first nine weeks of this season.
That streak started in a night game against Nico Iamaleava, who was at Tennessee at the time. Now the quarterback returns as a member of the Bruins in yet another prime-time game.
Our staff made game predictions based on DraftKings’ 31.5 point spread with an over/under point total of 47.5. Once again, we are betting Buckeye Talk tokens, starting with a bankroll of 100 and seeing who can grow their bankroll the most — or simply avoid losing it — over the course of the season.
Stephen Means
Ohio State 41, UCLA 3
UCLA can’t stop Ohio State from doing whatever it wants. The only thing that should be intriguing about this game is how the Buckeyes choose to approach it.
Will Saturday be the first step toward revving up the engines for good? Or, will this be another weekend of tinkering one final time before doing so?
The route they take to an eventual one-sided victory might depend on the health status of a few key contributors.
Game pick: Ohio State -31.5 (5 Buckeye Talk Tokens)
Over/under: Under 47.5 (5 BTT)
Record: 9-0
Against the spread: 8-1-0
Over/under record: 5-4-0
Tokens left: 210
Stefan Krajisnik
Ohio State 42, UCLA 3
This was my exact prediction for Ohio State’s game at Purdue last week, and though it didn’t work out, I’m sticking with it.
UCLA’s run of success, which started with that upset of Penn State, was fun. However, when UCLA got on the field with Indiana, we saw the real Bruins. Ohio State will provide a similar result.
The Buckeyes should have no trouble moving the ball, and they’ll likely break some big plays in the rushing game. Defensively, coach Ryan Day has wanted to see more takeaways, and he’ll get multiple against UCLA.
Ohio State will cruise en route to a 10-0 start
Game pick: Ohio State -31.5 (15 BTT)
Over/under: Under 47.5 (5 BTT)
Record: 9-0
Against the spread: 7-2-0
Over/under record: 6-3-0
Tokens left: 142
Andrew Gillis
Ohio State 42, UCLA 7
Ohio State is going to try and play slower as it has all season long, I just don’t think that’s going to work against an overmatched UCLA defense.
The Buckeyes are going to score early and often, and it’s going to happen by way of the ground game and through the air. Quarterback Julian Sayin should have a field day, and running back Bo Jackson and the mix of backfield options should mix in and find success.
This is the game before the dress rehearsal next week against Rutgers, and I expect more of the same this season compared to what we’ve seen this year: Ohio State dominates a team at a severe talent disadvantage.
Game pick: Ohio State -31.5 (15 BTT)
Over/under: Over 47.5 (5 BTT)
Record: 8-1
Against the spread: 6-3-0
Over/under record: 4-5-0
Tokens left: 76
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