Ball State Cardinals vs Ohio State Buckeyes Prediction, Picks and Game Preview - 09/05/2026

Game Time: 12:30 pm ET, Saturday, September 5, 2026

Venue:  Ohio Stadium, Columbus, OH

Where to Watch:  Big Ten Network

DraftKings:  Point Spread:  Ball State +50.5, Ohio State -50.5; Over/Under:  56.5 points

Bet365:  Point Spread:  Ball State +50.5, Ohio State -50.5; Over/Under:  56.5 points

BetMGM:  Point Spread:  Ball State +50.5, Ohio State -50.5; Over/Under:  56.5 points

Ball State Cardinals:  0-0 (0-0) (MAC)

Ohio State Buckeyes:  0-0 (0-0) (Big Ten)

Do not miss out on our expert handicapper analysis! Brian Bitler is coming off a HOT YEAR in CFB, going 85-56-4 for +$23,820 PROFIT! Make sure you check out his picks and many more from the expert handicappers featured in the Shop Picks section.

Ball State Cardinals:  N/A

Ohio State Buckeyes:  N/A

Ball State finished last season with a 4-8 record overall and they had a 3-5 record in their conference games too.  They were 4-1 in their home games, 0-7 in their road games, and they were also 0-0 in their neutral site games last season, but they will be on the road for this season opener. Last season, their offense was averaging 15.8 points scored per game while their defense was allowing an average of 29.8 points per game. Their offense also averaged 271.7 yards per game while their defense was allowing an average of 405.7 yards per game. Kiael Kelly led the team in passing yards with 1,583, Kiael Kelly led the team in rushing yards with 600, and Qian Magwood led the team in receiving yards with 320.

 

 

 

Ohio State finished last season with a 12-2 record overall and they had a 9-0 record in their conference games too.  They were 7-0 in their home games, 5-0 in their road games, and they were also 0-2 in their neutral site games last season, but they will be at home for this season opener. Last season, their offense was averaging 33.4 points scored per game while their defense was allowing an average of 9.3 points per game. Their offense also averaged 422.6 yards per game while their defense was allowing an average of 219.1 yards per game. Julian Sayin led the team in passing yards with 3,610, Bo Jackson led the team in rushing yards with 1,090, and Jeremiah Smith led the team in receiving yards with 1,243.

The current betting odds have Ball State listed as a 50.5 point underdog in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. Ball State is coming off a bad season finishing 4-8 and they have been one of the worst teams in the MAC over the last few years. They don't have the talent to compete with power 4 schools and now they have a really tough task to start the season, going on the road against one of the best teams in the nation. Meanwhile, Ohio State is coming off a great season going 12-2 and they were one of the best teams in the nation last year too. They ended up losing when it mattered most though, losing in the Big Ten Championship to Indiana after an undefeated regular season and then lost their next game in the CFP. They will be looking to once again be one of the best teams in the nation this year and they are a team that brings in a ton of talent year after year, but even with all of that talent, Ryan Day continues to underperform with the team. They had the best defense in the nation last year and didn't give up many points, but they weren't putting up a ton of points either. It felt like they had restrictions on their QB and didn't let the talent on offense rip all season. They are bringing back a lot of that talent this year, but they haven't been the kind of team to blow out their opponents offensively and they have also had a tendency of starting slow over the last few years. Ball State doesn't have the talent on offense to make a dent on this Ohio State defense, but this is also a really large number for Ohio State in their 1st game of the season and there is a good chance that Ball State can cover this spread without even putting up a point. Ohio State won't kill themselves to run up the score either, especially with a huge game on the road against Texas in week 2. The best way to place a bet here is on Ball State to cover the spread in this game. 

Ball State Ohio State Prediction:  Our NCAAF Pick for Saturday, September 5, 2026 (12:30 pm ET start time) is Ohio State 49 Ball State 3.

Don't miss our champion handicappers free picks and expert football picks today. And if you enjoyed this Ball State Cardinals Ohio State Buckeyes prediction, be sure to drop by every day for our weekly NCAAF predictions and previews.

Ball State Cardinals: 5-8 ATS as an underdog of 31 or more points. 19-30 1H ATS in the first two weeks of the season. 14-5 UNDER against Big 10 conference opponents. 23-15 UNDER in a road game where the total is between 56.5 and 63.

Ohio State Buckeyes: 19-9 ATS against FBS division opponents. 20-9 ATS as a favorite. 11-4 ATS in home lined games. 18-11 UNDER against FBS division opponents. 18-12 UNDER as a favorite.

Ball State Cardinals:  None.

Ohio State Buckeyes:  None.

“As a group, we might play 12 to 13 guys out there throughout the course of the game.” - Mike Uremovich on his team’s defensive line coming into the new college football season.  

“I think he’s going to play. How much is to be determined, but he will play. And somebody who has had a really good camp, he’s practiced every day. And you know, when you’re out there every day, and you’re you’re playing with the ones and twos, and you’re mixing yourself in there. He’s gotten a lot of reps with the ones in the last week. You know, you just you continually get better.” - Ryan Day on Brock Boyd coming into the new CFB season.

WR Durham, Elisha

WR Hamilton, Donovan

WR Smith Jr., Jabari

TE Hoover, Tate

QB Luster, Keldric

RB Horton, TJ

WR Henry Jr., Chris

WR Smith, Jeremiah

WR Inniss, Brandon

TE Roberts, Nate

QB Sayin, Julian

RB Jackson, Bo

Passing: N/A

Rushing: N/A

Receiving: N/A

Touchdowns: N/A

Passing: N/A

Rushing: N/A

Receiving: N/A

Touchdowns: N/A

Coaches:

Ball State Cardinals: Mike Uremovich (2nd season)

Ohio State Buckeyes: Ryan Day (9th season)