Ohio State vs. Minnesota: Live Stream, Watch Online, Prediction, Pick, Spread, Football Match Odds, TV Channel
Thursday night’s clash between No. 4 Ohio State and Minnesota will be a clash between two teams starting in 2021 and coming from completely different seasons in 2020. However, the Buckeyes and Gophers both have extremely high hopes of entering the college football season of 2021, especially considering they will be this year’s second Big Ten game and an attraction on national television.
Ohio State went into 2020 with high expectations and lived up to them. The Buckeyes went 5-0 up against a shortened Big Ten schedule and won the conference. They then disposed of Clemson in the College Football Playoffs before falling to Alabama in the national championship game. Minnesota had significant expectations of its own. Golden Gophers had ended the 2019 season as one of the bigger surprises in the country. They finished 11-2 and ended the season with a win over Auburn in the Outback Bowl. Unfortunately for Gophers, COVID-19 caused damage to the team in 2020, and they limped to the finish line at 3-4.
This season, despite the loss of key players, Ohio State is again expected to win the big ten and compete for a playoff spot. On the other hand, no one is quite sure what to expect from Minnesota this season. Perhs Thursday night opening will give us a clearer picture.
Ohio State vs. Minnesota: Need to Know
CJ Stroud joins: Ohio State’s quarterback game was one of the most watched in the country this offseason as the Buckeyes looked for a replacement for Justin Fields. They hope to have found him in Stroud, which gets his first career started Thursday night. Stroud was the No. 2 pro-style QB in the 2020 recruiting class according to the 247Sports Composite, and the California native has high expectations. Stroud had to beat other highly regarded recruits for the job. His competition included Kyle McCord (five-star, 2021), Jack Miller (four-star, 2020) and Quinn Ewers (five-star, 2021), the latter of whom reclassified to join the Buckeyes this season.
The Buckeyes have the country’s best receiving corps: Stroud will be assisted by having a great selection of weons available. Given Ohio State’s talent at the wide receiver position, you may question whether former QB Justin Fields has less talent around him in the NFL with the Chicago Bears than he had in college. Chris Olave finished last season with 729 yards reception and seven touchdowns in seven games, while Garrett Wilson had 723 yards reception and six touchdowns. Behind the two are other talented players like Julian Fleming and Jaxon Smith-Njigba. To get a better idea of the talent level, Jameson Williams - who last season captured nine passes for 154 yards and two touchdowns - transferred to Alabama (!) Because he felt there was a clearer path to more consistent playing time there.
Mohamed Ibrahim is a workhorse: Ibrahim is the focal point of Minnesota’s offense. He finished last season as No. 11 in the country with 1,076 yards rushing. However, this figure is a bit misleading as Ibrahim played in at least three fewer games than any other back placed in front of him. Per game, Ibrahim’s was 153.7 yards per game. Match number two after Buffalo’s Jaret Patterson. In addition, no one in the country carried the ball more often, as Ibrahim averaged 28.7 carries per. Match.
Big boys in front: The Gophers have two big returnees on the offensive. A major issue Minnesota addressed last season was the loss of two bases in the trenches. Daniel Faalele and Curtis Dunl missed the season due to COVID-19, but both are back and ready for the 2021. It’s a significant boost for a team that is so heavily dependent on its running game.
How to watch Ohio State vs Minnesota live
Date: Thursday 2 September | Time: 20.00 ET
Location: TCF Bank Stadium - Minneolis
TV: Fox | Live stream: fuboTV (Try for free)
Ohio State vs. Minnesota prediction, choose
Featured game | Minnesota Golden Gophers Vs. Ohio State Buckeyes
It’s hard to go against the Buckeyes in a Big Ten game. Ohio State won its six Big Ten games with an average of 21.5 points last season. Sure, there’s a chance that with a new quarterback under center and plenty of new faces elsewhere, the Buckeyes will not be nearly as effective in the first game of the season. Not to mention, this is a road game where Ohio State will play in front of fans for the first time since 2019. Still, I just do not trust that Minnesota’s offensive will be able to keep pace over the entire 60 minutes, so I put the points with Ohio State. Prediction: Ohio State (-14.5)
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