It’s an in-state matchup when Ohio State takes on the original Ohio on Saturday night in the Horseshoe.
This is the first meeting between the two schools in 15 years with the last coming in 2010, a 43-7 Buckeyes win.
The two teams come off wins with the Bobcats grabbing the minor upset of West Virginia and OSU putting up seventy on Grambling. This matchup will at least be more competitive than that one for the Buckeyes.
My Ohio vs. Ohio State predictions break it all down as I bring you my college football picks for Saturday, September 13.
Ohio vs Ohio State prediction
Ohio vs Ohio State best bet: Parker Navarro Under 32.5 rushing yards (-114)
As the self-proclaimed leader of the Parker Navarro fan club, I take no joy in this, but the value on the under 32.5 rushing yards cannot be ignored.
The senior signal-caller has likely never faced a defense of this quality in his college career. The closest comparison came his sophomore year against Penn State. He actually went over this rushing total then, despite one sack—but with a huge caveat.
Navarro was used off the bench for specialty packages, and his speed and mobility had not yet been put on film. He had the advantage of catching Penn State by surprise.
That’s best evidenced by what happened a week later against Iowa State when the Ohio Bobcats used him similarly, and he had two carries for -30 rushing yards along with two sacks.
After topping 80 rushing yards in both games this season against power-four competition (Rutgers, West Virginia), he will not be catching Ohio State off guard.
I suspect the game plan will force him into being a pocket passer—and I expect them to succeed. What really tilts things in our favor is the sacks. Navarro can, and likely will, rip off a few solid runs and still go under this number because of them.
And the Buckeyes should get plenty, facing an offensive line ranking in the bottom 40th percentile of havoc allowed. That’s a death wish against a defensive front that will be bigger and have better athletes than them.
Ohio vs Ohio State same-game parlay
We’re taking Jeremiah Smith to catch a touchdown and eclipse the century mark for this same-game parlay.
The Ohio defense has been average overall but they’ve specifically struggled through two games stopping explosive passing plays ranking in the bottom 30th percentile.
That will be music to Smith’s ears.
Ohio vs Ohio State SGP
- Parker Navarro Under 32.5 rushing yards
- Jeremiah Smith anytime touchdown
- Jeremiah Smith Over 95.5 receiving yards
Our deep-ball SGP: Navarro To The Endzone
We’re going for an absolutely massive payout here. Even though I’m down on Navarro’s rushing yards because of the sack likelihood, I still think it’s reasonable for him to score.
Mainly because Ohio is going to trust very little other options on their view visits to the redzone.
I’m pairing it with an Ohio cover, which, as mentioned above, mostly comes down to the slight value I see on my projections.
Ohio vs Ohio State SGP
- Parker Navarro Under 32.5 rushing yards
- Jeremiah Smith anytime touchdown
- Jeremiah Smith Over 95.5 receiving yards
- Parker Navarro anytime touchdown
- Ohio +30.5
Ohio vs Ohio State odds
- Spread: Ohio +29.5 (-110) | Ohio State -29.5 (-110)
- Moneyline: Ohio +2200 | Ohio State -10000
- Over/Under: Over 50.5 (-110) | Under 50.5 (-110)
Ohio vs Ohio State trend to know
Ohio have covered the 1Q Spread in 7 of their last 8 away games (+5.95 Units / 59% ROI). Find more college football betting trends for Ohio vs Ohio State.
How to watch Ohio vs Ohio State
| Location | Ohio Stadium, Columbus, OH |
| Date | Saturday, September 13, 2025 |
| Kickoff | 7:00 p.m. ET |
| TV | Peacock |
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Odds are correct at the time of publishing and are subject to change.
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