No 17 Ohio State Buckeyes vs Miami Hurricanes NCAA Football Odds

Saturday, September 17, 2011

by WagerWeb Sportsbook

Let’s go ahead and call Saturday night’s game in South Florida between No. 17 Ohio State Buckeyes and unranked Miami the NCAA Infractions Bowl as both players are still under investigation by the NCAA and both will be missing suspended players because of it. The Canes have opened as 3-point favorites on Wager Web Sportsbook.

Miami Hurricanes is 0-1 after losing on the road to Maryland on Labor Day. The Buckeyes narrowly escaped an upset bid by Toledo at home this past week. Miami has not lost five straight games (dating to end of last year) since an eight-game slide in the 1977-78 seasons, and the Hurricanes are desperate to give new coach Al Golden his first victory. For Ohio State, a loss could mean the Buckeyes tumble out of the AP Top 25 for the first time since 2004.

The game could come down to which quarterback plays better: Miami’s inconsistent Jacory Harris or Ohio State’s Joe Bauserman in his first road start. Harris is one of five players that UM gets back off suspension for the opener. Three of them are defensive starters and will be needed after that unit was torched by Maryland. How seamlessly will Harris, LB Sean Spence, WR Travis Benjamin, DE Adewale Ojomo and DT Marcus Forston fit back in the Hurricanes rotation? Miami desperately needs them to contribute right away to get this 2011 season back on track. RB Lamar Miller looked good in opener with 119 yards and a TD and will look for holes behind huge line that averages 319 pounds.

OSU will be without running back Dan Herron, wide receiver DeVier Posey, offensive lineman Mike Adams and defensive lineman Solomon Thomas until next month because of their roles in the scandal. But the Ohio State Buckeyes but did get three back earlier this week, led by RB Jordan Hall.

The Ohio State Buckeyes get to see senior QB Bauserman be tested by an active and athletic Miami defense. How he handles the pressure and the spotlight will go a long ways towards establishing his credibility as the leader of this group for the season. RB Carlos Hyde has been steady as the workhorse, but needs the horses up front to provide the push so the running game can be established. The receiving corps is young and thin, so TE Jake Stoneburner will be a vital part of anything Ohio State does to keep moving the chains.

Ohio State leads Miami 2-1 all-time (last official meeting, 2002 National Championship game, 31-24 2OT Ohio State) Ohio State won 36-24 in Columbus in 2010, but season has been vacated.

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Tags

adewale ojomo - al golden - carlos hyde - dan herron - devier posey - jacory harris - jake stoneburner - joe bauserman - jordan hall - lamar miller

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