Every Thursday during the season, Bill Connelly, Doug Kezirian, Preston Johnson and Phil Steele will provide their top plays across the college football landscape.
Here are their best bets for the 12th full week of the college football season:
Season ATS records:
Connelly: 22-11-2 (4-0 last week)
Steele: 24-34 (2-3 last week)
Johnson: 31-23-1 (2-2 last week)
Kezirian: 37-29-1 (2-3 last week)
Note: Picks from Caesars Sportsbook lines as of Wednesday night.
Saturday's games
Ohio State Buckeyes (-52) at Rutgers Scarlet Knights
Kezirian: This will not be a pretty game, but the point spread makes it interesting. Ohio State has covered every single first-half spread this season, and I think the streak will continue in Piscataway. There is zero inclination that the Buckeyes will show mercy. After all, they attempted -- and converted -- an onside kick last week while leading 14-0 over Maryland as 42.5-point favorites. On top of that, they just lost their top ranking. Why would they start taking it easy?
Plus, Rutgers is awful. The Scarlet Knights rank in the bottom 10 in both offensive and defensive efficiency. I think this is a rout early, and I doubt Rutgers will score in the first half. Obviously, it's a bit of a risk, but there is no reason to think Rutgers can do anything on offense against Ohio State's first team. If the Buckeyes suffer a surprise turnover, Rutgers has made only two of five field goal attempts of 30-plus yards this season.
Pick: Ohio State -31.5 1H (William Hill) and Rutgers 1H team total under 2.5