There’s still over three months to go before Ohio State takes the field against Ball State on Sept. 5 for its season opener, but there are already odds on by how much the Buckeyes will win.
DraftKings revealed its early spread for the game against the Cardinals, and Ohio State is favored by 49.5 points, according to the sportsbook.
It’s no surprise that the Buckeyes are predicted to win so big with how well they normally play against Mid-American Conference teams. In the past two seasons, OSU has beaten Ohio University 37-9 (Sept. 13, 2025), Western Michigan 56-0 (Sept. 7, 2024) and Akron 52-6 (Aug. 31, 2024).
The Cardinals are coming off a 4-8 record last season, with a 3-5 record in the MAC, which was good for ninth place out of 13 teams in the conference. It was the first season at the helm of Ball State for head coach Mike Uremovich.
This will be the first time Ohio State and Ball State match up on the gridiron.
