Ohio State has never been a bigger favorite entering a game than it is entering Saturday’s game vs. Grambling State.
A betting line for Saturday’s game was released by FanDuel Sportsbook on Friday, and it lists the Buckeyes as a 55.5-point favorite over the Tigers.
Ohio State has never previously been favored to win a game by 52 points, according to Odds Shark’s betting line database, which dates back to 1990. Ohio State was a 52-point favorite against Rutgers in 2019, a game it ultimately won 56-21.
The 55.5-point spread is the largest for any college football game since LSU hosted Grambling State in 2023. The LSU Tigers were 56.5-point favorites for that game, which it won 72-10.
The over/under total for Ohio State vs. Grambling State is set at 62.5, giving the game an implied score of 59-3.
The record-setting point spread comes after Ohio State became the No. 1 team in the AP and Coaches Polls this week following its 14-7 win over previously top-ranked Texas last Saturday. Grambling State, on the other hand, is an FCS team that went just 5-7 last season.
Grambling started the season with a 55-7 win over Langston, an NAIA opponent, but Tigers head coach Mickey Joseph was realistic about his team’s chances during his press conference this week, acknowledging the reality that Grambling is playing this game to collect a $1 million paycheck from Ohio State.
“We understand what we’re getting into. We understand what’s gonna happen. We understand there’s not balance in the scholarship, there’s not balance in what they have resources-wise and what we have resources-wise. We all know why we’re playing the game,” Joseph said.
Ohio State has won its four previous FCS games by an average of 44.75 points. In its lone previous game against an HBCU, Ohio State earned a 76-0 win over Florida A&M in 2013; each of its other three games vs. FCS schools came against Youngstown State (38-6 in 2007, 43-0 in 2008 and 35-7 in 2003).
