Throughout the year, we will be asking and answering questions about various Ohio State teams, the players, and anything else on our collective minds of varying degrees of importance. If you have a question that you would like to ask, you can tweet us @LandGrant33 or if you need more than 280 characters, send an email HERE.
Ryan Day has been remarkably good in games following byes, and that will need to continue on Saturday as the Ohio State Buckeyes are set to travel across the country to take on an insurgent
Washington Huskies team in one of the best home environments in the country.
Ahead of the trip west, we wanted to check in with Buckeye Nation and take the fandom’s temperature about how they are feeling about the game. So, in this week’s fan survey, we have two questions. The first focuses on what worries you most heading into this weekend’s matchup. Then, as we do every game week of the season, we want you to predict the winner and margin of victory for the game.
So, check out the questions, and then vote in the survey at the bottom of the article. If the answer that you want to go with isn’t included, or you want to expound on your selection, feel free to share your thoughts in the comments at the bottom of the page.
Question 1: What worries you most about this week’s game against Washington?
A dynamic, versatile quarterback. A daunting home-field advantage. A team with a chip on its shoulder. Cross-country travel. Multiple offensive weapons.
There are a lot of things that could weigh on the minds of Buckeye fans as the team prepares to play Washington on Saturday afternoon at 3:30 p.m. ET on CBS. Ryan Day discussed many of these issues in his press conference on Tuesday. So, if you don’t have a specific concern in mind, I would recommend listening to the coach’s comments below and then voting in the survey.
Question 2: What will the margin of victory be in Saturday’s game against Washington?
When this game was first put on the board, some sports books had it as high as a 13.5-point advantage for the Buckeyes. Then, on Sunday, the FanDuel Sportsbook opened its betting at OSU -9.5. However, as of the writing of this article, it is down to 8.5.
The gold standard college football analytics system, SP+, has it as a 31-21 game in favor of the Buckeyes.
Personally, I know that Huskie Stadium is a tough place to play, and I am sure that it will factor into the game at some point, but so far this season, UW has played Colorado State, UC Davis, and Washington State; not exactly stellar barometers for a team’s capabilities. Against the two FBS teams, the Huskies have given up 45 points (21 to Colorado State and 24 to Wazzu). If that’s what those offenses can do against Washington, I would feel very good about Ohio State’s chances to put up points on Saturday afternoon.
So, while I will make my official pick and prediction on Saturday morning in the “Land-Grant Tailgate Podcast,” right now, I am leaning toward something like 45-13.
Throughout the year, we ask questions of the most plugged-in Ohio State fans and fans across the country. Sign up here to participate in the weekly emailed surveys.
