Ohio State Football: Las Vegas releases early point spreads for 5 games on Buckeyes schedule

Winning the national championship will be the goal of Ohio State this season, attempting to get the first under head coach Ryan Day. After missing out on the College Football Playoff last season, returning to the event will be viewed as the minimum requirement, especially with the returning talent in Colombus.

Ohio State has a few big games on the schedule, both during the Big Ten portion and before conference play begins. Las Vegas has released some early point spreads for five games, giving us a sneak preview of where they stand against some big-time opponents. The likes of Michigan, Notre Dame, and Penn State are forecasted despite still being a few months away.

Check out the five games here.

• Notre Dame (+17.5) at Ohio State
• Wisconsin (+15.5) at Ohio State
• Iowa (+21) at Ohio State
• Ohio State (-13) at Penn State
• Michigan (+13.5) at Ohio State

More on Ohio State, early point spreads

There might be national championship aspirations for this Ohio State team but there will be one game circled for everyone involved with the program — the Michigan Wolverines. Picking up a loss to their bitter rivals for the first time since 2011, it will technically be three full years since getting a win when they meet on Nov. 26.

Ohio State takes pride in beating the Wolverines and are nearly two-touchdown favorites at home this season. At the very least, head coach Ryan Day will be looking to end the regular season on a positive note before possibly heading into the postseason.

Rewind to the beginning of the season and the Buckeyes will be playing host to one of Week 1’s biggest matchups. Notre Dame has not played at Ohio Stadium since 1995 and the two historic college football brands are set to square off on Sept. 3. New Fighting Irish head coach Marcus Freeman will be facing his alma mater, making his regular-season debut with the program.

Even with the hype surrounding the game, Las Vegas views the home team as a heavy favorite.

Of the one road game mentioned, the Buckeyes are still nearly two-touchdown favorites. Despite what kind of crowds Penn State has been able to produce over the years, the 13-point spread speaks volumes as to highly Day’s squad is viewed during the preseason. The head coach is a cool 3-0 against the Nittany Lions during his tenure as head coach and is predicted to add a fourth.