The no. 5 Ohio State Buckeyes begin a new chapter without Urban Meyer when they kick off the 2019 season against the Florida Atlantic Owls. Game time is set for noon EST on Saturday, August 31, at Ohio Stadium in Columbus. The game is being broadcast nationally on Fox.
The Buckeyes are listed as 27.5-point favorites at home with an over/under of 63.5 points. Click here to check out betting odds and preview for all of this week’s college football games.
As mentioned, Meyer retired after last season, leaving a great legacy, at least on the field. Ohio State lost just nine games over Meyer’s seven seasons in Columbus. The Buckeyes won a national championship under Meyer in 2014 and have won back-to-back Big Ten titles the past two seasons. The expectation is that the Buckeyes will maintain that high level of play without Meyer.
It’s now Ryan Day’s responsibility to make that happen. OSU’s new head coach spent the last two seasons serving as the team’s offensive coordinator. He was also the interim coach for the first three games of the 2018 season while Meyer was suspended. But being the full-time head coach is different from being the interim, giving Day big shoes to fill and a lot of pressure on his shoulders heading into the 2019 season.
Day’s counterpart on Saturday knows a thing or two about big expectations at major programs. Lane Kiffin is entering his third season as the head coach at Florida Atlantic. In his first season at FAU, Kiffin led the Owls to a Conference-USA title and an 11-3 record, leading many to think that Florida Atlantic would become the next great mid-major program.
However, the Owls crash-landed in 2018, finishing 5-7 and failing to reach a bowl game. It was a disheartening season for Kiffin and company, especially a season-finale loss to Charlotte that would have made the Owls bowl eligible. It’s also worth noting that FAU began the 2018 season with a road game against Oklahoma, so the Owls won’t be in awe of visiting Columbus, although they hope for a better result after a 63-14 loss to the Sooners in that game.
If there’s a difference between the Meyer era and the Day era, we’re not going to see it in Week 1. I expect the Buckeyes to be business as usual against an inferior opponent in their opener. Admittedly, I drank the Kool-Aid with Kiffin and FAU before last year’s opener. But I’m not making the same mistake this year. I’ll lean toward Ohio State to win by four touchdowns and cover.
The best thing to happen to Day this offseason was landing Georgia transfer Justin Fields, who will be eligible to play right away and earned the starting quarterback job in training camp. There will be massive shoes for Fields to fill after Dwayne Haskins threw for over 4,800 yards and 50 touchdowns last year. But Fields has plenty of arm strength and his mobility could actually make him a better fit for the OSU offense than Haskins.
It’ll also help that Fields will have plenty of talented playmakers around him, so it won’t be all on his shoulders. J.K. Dobbins returns after rushing for over 1,000 yards and 10 touchdowns last season. The Buckeyes took some losses at wide receiver, but K.J. Hill is ready to step in as the no. 1 option in the passing game after hauling in 70 passes for 885 yards in 2018. To be fair, the offensive line lost some key players after last season, which could hinder OSU’s up-tempo offense. But the Buckeyes will be strong enough upfront to allow Fields to make plays with both his arm and legs.
Day will also like that his new quarterback will face an FAU defense that was dreadful last season. The Owls finished 2018 with a losing record because they couldn’t stop anybody. If they couldn’t stop Conference-USA teams, the odds are slim that they’ll give the Buckeyes trouble. For what it’s worth, Florida Atlantic brings back most of their starters on defense, but that doesn’t mean there will be a big improvement, especially against OSU’s explosive playmakers.
A year ago, I thought the Florida Atlantic offense might have enough to keep up with Oklahoma. That didn’t happen, and the Owls are in worst shape this year after losing some of their best playmakers. Running backs Devin Singletary and Kerrith Whyte, who combined for over 2,200 yards, both left for the NFL. Leading receiver Jovon Durante also decided to test his luck in the pros, leaving the cabinets somewhat bare.
Quarterback Chris Robison is one of the few holdovers on the FAU offense. He has a decent arm and enough athleticism to make plays with his legs when given the chance. But throwing 12 touchdowns to 12 interceptions last season isn’t that impressive. Even if the Ohio State has a few minor concerns, I don’t think Robison and the FAU offense will be able to expose them.
In the end, I expect Kiffin and Florida Atlantic to be overwhelmed by the OSU offense. Fields may have limited experience, but he’s as talented as almost any other dual-threat quarterback in the country. Ohio State is on another level talent-wise, and that should be enough to beat FAU by four touchdowns and cover the spread.