Ohio State vs. Arkansas State odds, spread, line: Week 2 college football picks, predictions

College Football Power Index picks, predictions for Ohio State vs. Arkansas State

Ohio State is coming off a statement, come from behind win over fifth-ranked Notre Dame last weekend and looks ahead to a meeting against Arkansas State in Week 2.

There's some concern about top receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba, who is expected to miss a few weeks with a hamstring injury, but the Buckeyes have plenty of talent in reserve to take his place in the meantime.

What do the experts project for the matchup? Let's see what College Football Power Index computer prediction model thinks of the game.

Ohio State vs. Arkansas State football picks, predictions

Ohio State takes on Arkansas State in the Week 2 college football schedule / USA Today Images

As expected, Football Power Index is siding heavily with the Buckeyes, who have the huge 98.4 percent chance to defeat the Red Wolves.

By contrast, the visitors have a 1.6 percent shot to upset the Buckeyes.

FPI knocked Ohio State down a spot in its latest top 131 college football rankings, to the No. 3 position behind Georgia and national leader Alabama.

The index projects OSU will win 11.8 games on the year, with an 79.9 percent shot to make the College Football Playoff, and a 22.0 percent chance to win the national championship.

FPI named Arkansas State the No. 82 team in its national poll, good for 7.4 wins this season, and with a 10.2 percent shot to win the Sun Belt.

College Football Power Index

ESPN Football Power Index (FPI) college football rankings and computer prediction model are a measure of team strength that predicts a team’s future performance. 

Rankings and scores predictions are based on 20,000 simulations of a team’s season, using a combination of analytics, including scores to date, quality of opponents, and a team’s schedule.

College football rankings

According to AP top 25 poll

1. Alabama
2. Georgia
3. Ohio State
4. Michigan
5. Clemson
6. Texas A&M
7. Oklahoma
8. Notre Dame
9. Baylor
10. USC
11. Oklahoma State
12. Florida
13. Utah
14. Michigan State
15. Miami
16. Arkansas
17. Pittsburgh
18. NC State
19. Wisconsin
20. Kentucky
21. BYU
22. Ole Miss
23. Wake Forest
24. Tennessee
25. Houston

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