Ohio may be just above .500 at 3-2 overall, but the Bobcats are No. 11 in the HERO Sports Group of Five Top 25 poll and that’s for good reason.
Ohio has played three Power Four teams, including Ohio State. While the Bobcats lost to the Buckeyes 37-9, they’ve played those other two P4 opponents pretty close. Ohio opened the season with a 34-31 defeat at Rutgers and then followed that with a 17-10 victory over West Virginia at home.
And since losing to Ohio State, the Bobcats won back-to-back games over Gardner-Webb 52-35 and Bowling Green 35-20.
With a 1-0 record in MAC play, Ohio now goes on the road to take on Ball State. The Cardinals are 1-3 overall with their one win being against FCS New Hampshire. But the Cardinals most recently were competitive with UConn, a solid program, and lost by just one possession, 31-25.
Could Ball State make things difficult for Ohio, too?
Ohio vs. Ball State Betting Odds
Ball State is a +14.5 college football betting odds underdog against Ohio, with the Over/Under being 51.5 as of this writing.
The moneyline for Ohio is -650, while it’s +475 for Ball State.
Ohio vs. Ball State On TV
The matchup between Ohio and Ball State will be televised on CBSSN.
The game will kick off at noon ET on Saturday, Oct. 4. The contest is taking place at Scheumann Stadium in Muncie, Indiana.
Ohio vs. Ball State Prediction
I predict Ohio will win but Ball State will cover the 14.5-point spread. I also project the game will go Over 51.5 total points.
I believe this Bobcats offense will end up being the best unit in the MAC this year. And of course that starts with star quarterback Parker Navarro.
Navarro has thrown for 1,078 yards, eight touchdowns, and four interceptions on a 66% completion rate. He’s also rushed for 321 yards and three scores.
But he also has some star players around him as well. Sieh Bangura has rushed for 414 yards and four touchdowns thus far, and Chase Hendricks is Ohio’s leading receiver with 481 yards and four scores on 29 catches.
I think Ohio puts up plenty of points in this matchup. But I also believe Ball State will score a few times as well.
The Cardinals have scored 59 points in their last two matchups after being held to a combined three points in their first two games of the season against Purdue and Auburn on the road. So it seems to me they’re finding a little bit of a rhythm on offense.
Ball State may even move the ball well enough to keep this competitive going into halftime. But I ultimately expect Ohio will end up with a 10-point victory here.
