Marshall Thundering Herd vs Ohio State Buckeyes Prediction, Odds, Best Bets - Week 2

Ohio State is laying 25.5 at home against a Marshall team that won by 27 in its opener and lost by 5 at home. The Buckeyes have the bigger name. The gap between these teams, on the numbers, is nowhere near this spread.

The Matchup

Marshall visits Ohio State on Monday night at the Schottenstein Center in Columbus, on BTN, with Ohio State a 25.5-point favorite, a total of 160.5, and the Buckeyes priced at -10,000 on the moneyline against Marshall at +3,000. Both teams are 1-1, and both have already shown two very different faces.

Marshall opened with a 92-65 win over Buffalo behind Bryce Slay, who is averaging 21.0 points a game, then lost 81-76 at home to Toledo in a game that stayed close all night. Noah Otshudi is handing out 5.0 assists a game and Khaman Maker is pulling down 8.5 rebounds a game, so the Thundering Herd scoring is not a one-man show.

Ohio State lost 94-83 to BYU, then beat Youngstown State 89-65 at home. John Mobley Jr. leads the Buckeyes at 19.5 points and 5.5 assists a game, and Andrija Jelavic is averaging 9.0 rebounds.

Last season is the deeper read on both. Ohio State went 21-12, scoring 79.8 points a game and allowing 72.8. Marshall went 19-13, scoring 81.1 and allowing 78.0, an offense-first team that played almost everybody close. Those are last season's rosters doing that work, and this season's first week says the names have changed more than the shapes: Ohio State still goes through Mobley in the backcourt, Marshall still spreads its scoring around Slay, Otshudi, and Maker, and neither defense has settled yet, with Ohio State giving up 94 to BYU and Marshall giving up 81 to Toledo.

Key Factors

The spread asks Ohio State to do something it has not done yet. The Buckeyes beat Youngstown State by 24 at home, their best margin so far, and this number asks for more than that against a better team. Marshall has already played a full game against a real opponent, and it led Toledo at halftime before losing by 5, so the Herd has seen a competitive fourth quarter before it walks into Columbus.

The scoring has to cooperate, and the total of 160.5 says the market expects it to. Marshall averaged 84.0 points a game across its first two, and Ohio State averaged 86.0. A game played in the 80s gives the underdog a lot of possessions to absorb a bad stretch, and Marshall's balance means Ohio State cannot load up on Slay and call the job done.

The honest counterpoint is Ohio State's ceiling at home. Mobley can take over a half, Jelavic gives the Buckeyes a size edge on the glass, and Marshall allowed 81 points to Toledo, so a Buckeye run of stops could stack up quickly.

If Ohio State defends the way it did against Youngstown State instead of the way it did against BYU, this number is reachable. This is also Marshall's first road game of the season, and a first trip into a building like this is where an underdog's poise gets tested. We are betting the BYU version shows up often enough to keep Marshall close.

Every pick is published with its line before the game. Odds via consensus sportsbooks at time of writing and move constantly. Must be 21+. If gambling is a problem, call or text 1-800-GAMBLER.