Ohio State kicked off their 2018 Big Ten season on Saturday with another convincing victory, taking down Rutgers by a score of 52-3. It was a rain-filled game, but the Bucks were able to overcome that challenge, and roll to the easy win, never slowing down after the opening whistle blew. In that game, the Buckeyes opened as 33-point favorites, with the line moving to 35 before game time. Ohio State covered that spread, beating the Scarlet Knights by a 49 point margin, which shows just how big of a talent differential there was between the two teams. The Bucks move to 2 and 0 on the season, and 1 and 0 in the Big Ten, while the Knights went to 1 and 1 on the campaign, and 0 and 1 in the conference. In week three, the Scarlet and Gray head to the Lone Star State for their first big challenge of the year, as they take on TCU in what is technically a neutral field contest at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. The Horned Frogs come into the contest at 2-0, after beating SMU 42-12, despite a slow start in a lightning delayed tilt on Friday night. Despite winning their first two games convincingly, No. 16 ranked TCU finds themselves as 12.5 point underdogs to the Buckeyes in this contest, which will be aired on ABC at 8 PM EST. Want daily inside scoop on the Buckeyes? Get VIP access with a 7-Day FREE Trial now! Ohio State and TCU have met six times in their histories, with the Bucks leading that series with four wins, having dropped one to the Horned Frogs, with the programs also tying in one contest. The two teams have not met since 1973, a match-up the Buckeyes won 37-3. The other games occurred in 1969 (62-0 Ohio State), 1966 (14-7 Ohio State), 1961 (7-7 tie), 1957 (18-14 TCU), and in 1937 (14-0 Ohio State). This year's game should be one of the competitive variety, especially as OSU is without head coach Urban Meyer, as he serves the final game of his three game suspension. Other notable games across the Big Ten and college football for week 2 include: -Penn State Nittany Lions against the Kent State Golden Flashes -Rutgers Scarlet Knights against the Kansas Jayhawks -Indiana Hoosiers against the Ball State Cardinals -Maryland Terrapins against the Temple Owls -Nebraska Cornhuskers against the Troy Trojans -Wisconsin Badgers against the BYU Cougars -Michigan Wolverines against the SMU Mustangs -Minnesota Golden Gophers against the Miami (OH) Redhawks -South Florida Bulls against the Illinois Fighting Illini -Purdue Boilermakers against the Missouri Tigers -Northwestern Wildcats against the Akron Zips -Oklahoma Sooners against the Iowa State Cyclones -Notre Dame Fighting Irish against the Vanderbilt Commodores -Auburn Tigers against the LSU Tigers -West Virginia Mountaineers against the N.C. State Wolfpack -Alabama Crimson Tide against the Ole Miss Rebels -USC Trojans against the Texas Longhorns -Washington Huskies against the Utah Utes<doc-sep>COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Ohio State acting head coach Ryan Day spoke with the media on Monday to recap a win over Rutgers and preview this week's game against No. 15 TCU. A full transcript of Day's news conference is below. Q. Ryan, I'm sure you have very high expectations for your offense. What about your offense maybe is even more impressive than you anticipated? Day: Probably our depth and just talent overall. You know, you look all across the board, we're pretty deep. A lot of playmakers. So when you get the ball to those guys in space and you can stretch the ball vertically and horizontally, you can really be explosive. That matched with the tempo and our ability to protect right now is good. Dwayne and Tate, they have a lot of time and can set their feet, so their rhythm has been good. Q. What about TCU's defense presents the most problems? Day: Coach Patterson has done a great job. They have all the answers. Any time a defense has been together that long, they have seen so many different things come their way. So they have adjustments. They make quick adjustments. They know exactly how you're trying to attack them, so very, very talented group, as well. A lot of veteran guys back there. They have been together such a long time that you are not going to get anything free. You're going to have to earn everything that you get. Q. How much input has Coach Meyer had on what to expect? Day: Like I said last week, everything in terms of week-to-week stuff with coach, we have been game planning all together so he's had a huge amount of input. Q. How many guys are involved in the playaction game with Dwayne at quarterback? Day: I think the combination of a great offensive line and J.K. and Mike, you have to account for them. Once you do that, if you can tie in the runs to make them look exactly like the runs, then they have to get somebody else into the front, whether it's a safety or a seventh defender and then at that point, whether it's with an RPO or play-action pass, we want to take advantage of that. So you saw John, you see Terry down the field, one-on-one situations with cornerbacks and then it's just a matter of making the throw and catch. So it all starts with running the football, and if we can force that seventh guy in the box, that opens up stuff in the pass game. Q. You mentioned a couple weeks ago when special teams meetings are happening, the running backs are often with you in the quarterback room. What have you learned about J.K. from a more personal side? Day: Great personality. Very, very competitive. Wants it really, really bad. But has a fun way about him. Kind of a happy-go-lucky. Always has a smile on his face. A lot of energy. He's a very likable kid. But he works really, really hard and he's got that edge to him. He's fun. He's always got something to say in meetings. Outgoing personality. But I think that, you know, they are pushing each other, too, in that room between Mike and J.K., so the competition is really good, but they also pull for each other. Q. Regardless of what's gone on this year, Urban's suspension, things have seemed to go rather smoothly. What do you attribute that to? Day: The culture of our team. We said from the beginning that this team has been trained for this -- for this type of adversity. We talk about winning the moment. We talk about E+R=O. We talked about that before. The training that's happened over the last year and obviously what Coach has done here for the six years leading up to this, there's been a foundation set here. So when you go through something tough, if you have a good, strong foundation, then you can make it through the other side and that's what's happened. Q. Are things going well without Urban, because of Urban? Day: Like I said, the culture Coach has set here with all these guys, it's amazing. The locker room and the character, not just with the players, but their families, you know, sticking together, our recruits, the whole thing. So because of that, we've been able to come through the back end of this thing. Still got a long season to go. But going through that stuff, like we said, makes us stronger, as well. But the leadership right here, the coaching staff, we have all stuck together. But there's no way you can get through that without a strong foundation to start with. Q. How much authority does Dwayne have to alter plays? Day: Yeah, he knows, whether it's in the running game, he has the ability to make a check or in the pass gale, he can change the protection and slide it one way or the other. He has a good handle on that. Sometimes we're playing fast and he has to make a decision where the ball goes. Sometimes it's to the running back and sometimes he has to run it and sometimes he gets thrown to the receivers. Whether it's before or after the snap, he has to make decisions. Q. Do you worry at all them getting too confident going into a game like this? Day: I think that, you know, when the games get tighter, every play matters even more. And so the mistakes are still there. We talked about that in the meeting yesterday. The mistakes are still there. You know, we can't -- like for instance, the interception in the red zone two games ago, or, you know, a play with false starting or sack on third down; those plays in a big game are going to show up even more. They are still there and we have to correct them and that's the sign of a mature group is you can win a big game, kind of like we have last two games but then come to work and be critical of yourself and take the coaching so that we make the corrections to keep building. Q. As well as Tate performed the other day, does that make you more inclined to want to get him involved in the offense in some way? Day: I think Tate showed what he can do. But we've seen that through camp and through practice. So nothing he did surprised us. He's done a great job running. He's done a great job passing. So his skill-set is excellent for, you know, attacking the defense. They have to account for him with his feet and then with his arm. So you know, like we said before, we plan to play Tate. How much kind of depends on the game moving forward. But it was great to see him go out there and have some success and see him running around and have some energy. Q. You hear about in a spread offense it's important to stretch the defense vertically -- who are your main deep threats? Day: I think that our main deep threats are Johnnie and Terry. Austin and Ben also have the ability to go deep, some of the younger guys, as well. We've also taken shots from the inside, as well, with Paris down the field and sometimes KJ. So any of those guys can be threats down the field. It just kind of depends sometimes on what the defense is giving us. They decided to kind of put the safeties down a little bit early in the game and so that opened up the middle of the field and so we connected on it. There's so much that goes into that. You have to be able to run the ball. You have to be able to protect and you have to be able to do those things to open up something like that. Otherwise they put the safety in the middle of the field and it doesn't open anything up. When those opportunities present themselves, we've got to capitalize and when you do, you look much more explosive. So then we get the effect of now they have to back up a little bit and the underneath stuff opens up. So that's kind of how the game works. Q. After the opener, Urban comes in and says, "What, you only had to punt once." What was his feedback this time? Day: It was kind of what we just talked about, how we have to make corrections and we have to be critical of ourselves moving forward; so that in a game like this, some of the mistakes being made don't catch up to you. When you think they are okay, they are not. You have to get those things fixed. Game week is usual. Went through the film. Made the corrections and now we are on to TCU. Q. Now that you're two games into this and have one more left, I was curious, you've spoken a lot about how the game plan and what happens on Saturday is done between Monday and Friday, with his first full week back, how did it go on Saturday in terms of staying within what you guys prepared for, and how does that change going into a game where there's a chance you guys could actually lose? Day: I think so much of the work that happens on Saturday is done during the week, like I said. We all sit in the meeting. Even today, sitting in the meeting room, everybody has input into what we are calling and if it makes it on the call sheet, then it's good enough to call and we all have to be behind that and understand that. I know we have to make adjustments in game and figure out what the defense is doing and what plays give us the best opportunity. But yeah, the input is strong from everybody in the offensive staff, including Coach, and if it makes on the call sheets, it's good enough to call. If it isn't, then we just take it off and don't call it that week. Q. No disrespect to your previous two opponents, but this is a big game and something that Ohio State fans have been waiting for for a long time. How is that different for you? Is it more nerve-wracking, being there alone without Urban and how are you anticipating handling this challenge, the biggest challenge you've faced? Day: I think when you play in big games, obviously you have to take care of the football. You have to run the football. You have to play good defense and you have to really follow the plan to win even more because every play is so much more important. In terms of preparing for it, we are going to be who we are and do what we are. I think when you start to stray and focus on other things, like it being a big game, that's when you get distracted. We've got to focus on us and if we play the way that we know we can play, then that's going to give us the best chance to win. If we start to overthink it or anything else, then we are not putting our best foot forward. Q. You referenced a couple times mistakes that you weren't happy about. I know coaches weren't satisfied. Are there things about the offense that you were actually legitimately concerned about at this point? Averaging 64 points a game; what is it that might worry you? Day: No, I don't think there's any one thing. I think it's just when you watch the film, our execution level has got to be high every play. It's got to be what we call 4 to 6, A to B, which is relentless effort every play. It can't be just on four out of five plays. If we are very, very critical of ourselves, then we have a chance to be as good as we want to be. But as you're going along, sometimes the defense gives you looks.<doc-sep>
Jay LaPrete/Associated Press The Big Ten and Big 12 don't hook up all that often, but the Big Ten holds the edge recently, going 6-3 straight up and 5-3-1 against the spread versus the Big 12 over the last three seasons. In an interesting early-season inter-sectional battle, Ohio State takes on TCU on Saturday night on neutral turf at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. College football point spread: The Buckeyes opened as 12.5-point favorites, according to sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark (line updates and matchup report). College football betting pick, via OddsShark computer: 42.2-26.6 Buckeyes (College football picks on every game). Check out the OddsShark podcast on iTunes or at OddsShark.libsyn.com for more odds information, betting picks and a breakdown of this week’s top sports betting news. Why the Ohio State Buckeyes can cover the spread The Buckeyes are 2-0 both SU and ATS this season, covering two big spreads, after roughing up Rutgers on Saturday 52-3. Ohio State drove 67 yards to a touchdown on its first possession, led 14-0 after one quarter, 35-0 at the half and 42-0 before allowing the Scarlet Knights to hit the board with a field goal midway through the third quarter. The Buckeyes then tacked on the game's final 10 points to secure the cover as 35-point favorites. Video Play Button Videos you might like On the day, Ohio State out-gained Rutgers 579-134 and out-rushed the Knights 225-69. Sophomore quarterback Dwayne Haskins threw four touchdown passes without an interception and has now thrown nine touchdown passes through his first two games. Meanwhile, the Buckeyes defense held Rutgers to just 2.2 yards per play. Two weeks ago, Ohio State opened this season with a 77-31 rout of Oregon State, covering a 40-point spread. Why the TCU Horned Frogs can cover the spread The Frogs are also off to a 2-0 start, following their 42-12 victory over SMU on Friday night. TCU spotted the Mustangs the first nine points of the game and only led 14-12 at the half. But a fumble return for a touchdown early in the third quarter sparked a 28-0 run to end the game, and the Frogs covered as 23-point favorites. On the night TCU out-gained SMU 393-242, out-rushed the Mustangs 247-131 and won time of possession by a 34/26 split. Two weeks ago, the Frogs defeated FCS Southern University 55-7, just missing the cover as 49-point favorites. Smart betting pick Ohio State, being Ohio State, is often overrated on the college football betting lines. And TCU, being TCU, is often underrated. In fact, the Frogs are 9-3 ATS their last 12 times out as underdogs. The Buckeyes may win this game outright, but the smart money takes TCU and the points. College football betting trends The total has gone under in three of Ohio State's last four games. The total has gone under in TCU's last four games against the Big 10. TCU is 5-2 ATS in its last seven games in September. All college football odds and betting trends according to Bleacher Report's official odds partner, OddsShark. Check out OddsShark on Twitter and Instagram or head to YouTube for more betting picks and analysis on this week's top games. You can also download the free odds tracker app.