Ohio State Buckeyes Open as Jaw-Dropping Favorites for Week 1 Matchup

The Ohio State Buckeyes will host the Akron Zips in the season-opener.

Sep 25, 2021; Columbus, Ohio, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes defensive tackle Tyleik Williams (91)with the sack of Akron Zips quarterback DJ Irons (0) during the fourth quarter at Ohio Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joseph Maiorana-USA TODAY Sports / Joseph Maiorana-USA TODAY Sports

The Ohio State Buckeyes are expected to cruise through their three-game non-conference slate this upcoming season, but the initial betting lines for the season-opener are taking this expectation to a whole new level.

Ohio State will host the in-state Akron Zips on Saturday, Aug. 31. in a contest that's not exactly projected to be close, at least according to Vegas.

Oct. 14, 2023; Lafayette, In., USA; Ohio State Buckeyes head coach Ryan Day pumps his fast after a touchdown by Ohio State Buckeyes quarterback Devin Brown (33) during the first half of Saturday's NCAA Division I football game against the Purdue Boilermakers at Ross-Ade Stadium in Lafayette. / Barbara J. Perenic/The Columbus Dispatch

Ohio State has opened up as a whopping 50.5-point favorite vs. Akron, the largest current spread for any Week 1 matchup next season. The Zips are coming off an abysmal 2-10 season where they finished 1-7 in Mid-American conference play.

It's worth noting that three of these losses came in overtime, including a four-OT loss to a Big Ten opponent in Indiana, so the competitiveness was there. However, moral victories won't be enough to keep things close with an Ohio State team that has reloaded this offseason and is still ticked off by the way last year ended.

Ohio State leads the all-time series with Akron 8-1. The most-recent meeting happened in 2021, a 59-7 win for coach Ryan Day and the Buckeyes. OSU has won all four matchups since 2001, with a combined point margin of 149-23.

Akron's only win over Ohio State came less than three decades after the end of the Civil War in 1894, as the Zips beat the Buckeyes 12-6 in Columbus. Hang the banner!

A 50.5-point spread is huge, even for an early-season non-conference game between two programs that are in different stratospheres competition-wise. The Zips could certainly ruffle some feathers by playing their hearts out and potentially covering the spread with a few meaningless touchdowns late in the second half.