Kent State Golden Flashes vs Ohio State Buckeyes Prediction, Picks and Game Preview - 09/19/2026

Game Time: 12:00 pm ET, Saturday, September 19, 2026

Venue:  Ohio Stadium, Columbus, OH

Where to Watch:  FOX

DraftKings:  Point Spread:  Kent State +52.5, Ohio State -52.5; Over/Under:  58.5 points

Bet365:  Point Spread:  Kent State +52.5, Ohio State -52.5; Over/Under:  58.5 points

BetMGM:  Point Spread:  Kent State +52.5, Ohio State -52.5; Over/Under:  58.5 points

Kent State Golden Flashes:  1-1 (0-0) (3rd place, MAC)

Ohio State Buckeyes:  1-1 (0-0) (12th place, Big Ten)

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Kent State Golden Flashes:  won their last game at home against the Wofford Terriers 36-15.

Ohio State Buckeyes:  lost their last game on the road against the Texas Longhorns 24-23.

Kent State is entering this game with a 1-1 record overall and they have a 0-0 record in their conference games too. They are 1-0 in their home games, 0-1 in their road games, and they are also 0-0 in their neutral site games this season, but they will be on the road for this game. They won their last game against Wofford 36-15. Dru DeShields was the starting QB and he completed 16/25 passes for 248 passing yards, 1 touchdown, and 2 interceptions. Dru DeShields led the team in rushing yards with 74 and 2 TDs. Da'Realyst Clark led the receivers with 90 receiving yards on 5 receptions. Hayden Dawahare and Jaihien Roy each led the defense in that game with 6 tackles while Hayden Dawahare, Jaihien Roy, Rocco Nicholl, Derrick Jackson, and Josue Cordoba each led the defense in sacks with 1. Jaihien Roy and Rafael Terrero Jr. each came away with 1 interception for them in that one.

 

 

 

Ohio State is entering this game with a 1-1 record overall and they have a 0-0 record in their conference games too. They are 1-0 in their home games, 0-1 in their road games, and they are also 0-0 in their neutral site games this season, but they will be at home for this game. They lost their last game against Texas 24-23. Julian Sayin was the starting QB and he completed 17/32 passes for 278 passing yards, 1 touchdown, and 1 interception. Bo Jackson led the team in rushing yards with 74. Jeremiah Smith led the receivers with 164 receiving yards on 8 receptions and 1 TD. Earl Little Jr. led the defense in that game with 10 tackles while Kenyatta Jackson Jr. and Riley Pettijohn each led the defense in sacks with 1. Jaylen McClain came away with the only interception for them in that one.

The current betting odds have Ohio State listed as a 52.5 point favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. Ohio State hasn't looked great in their games this season with their 1-1 record overall. They have looked good on their home field though with their 1-0 home record so far. Meanwhile, Kent State hasn't looked great in their games this season with their 1-1 record overall. They haven't been a good road team either with their 0-1 road record so far. They are coming off a 36-15 win over Wofford in their last one, but they didn't look great against that team from the FCS and that might be the only win they get this season. They have been one of the worst programs in FBS over the last few years and they already got destroyed by South Carolina in week 1, losing 57-0. Their offense couldn't do anything in that one while their defense got run over too, and now they are playing a much stronger team on both offense and defense. Ohio State already has a loss under their belt as they are coming off a 24-23 loss to Texas in their last one and they blew a 23-3 lead in the 4th quarter too, but Texas is also one of the best teams in the nation and so is Ohio State with the talent they have. Ohio State did destroy a MAC team in week 1 already, beating Ball State 56-3, and they didn't take their foot off the gas in that one with a late TD to cover. They will be looking to take out their frustrations from that loss and will be looking to put up a big number after the way that offense performed in the 2nd half against Texas. The best way to place a bet here is on Ohio State to cover the spread in this game. 

Kent State Ohio State Prediction:  Our NCAAF Pick for Saturday, September 19, 2026 (12:00 pm ET start time) is Ohio State 63 Kent State 0.

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Kent State Golden Flashes: 4-15 ATS against Big 10 conference opponents. 15-23 ATS when the total is between 56.5 and 63. 10-18 ATS off a home win by 17 points or more. 9-5 OVER as a road underdog. 6-3 OVER after playing a game at home.

Ohio State Buckeyes: 21-13 ATS in a home game where the total is between 56.5 and 63. 21-9 ATS against FBS division opponents. 12-4 ATS as a home favorite. 6-1 OVER as a favorite of 31 or more points. 

Kent State Golden Flashes:  M. Stephens (WR) Questionable - Undisclosed. D. Armentrout (RB) Questionable - Undisclosed. E. Tucker (K) Questionable - Undisclosed. W. Bierfeldt (WR) Questionable - Undisclosed.

Ohio State Buckeyes:  K. Parker (WR) Questionable - Undisclosed.

“It's always fun to win, and celebrate with the locker room, you know, that, that didn't get a chance to experience that last week, and really experienced it for the first time together.” - Mark Carney after his team’s win against Wofford in their last game. 

“I felt, you know, we had them on the ropes and didn’t finish. So we got to go back and figure out why that was.” - Ryan Day after his team’s loss against Texas in their last game. 

WR Clark, Da'Realyst

WR Banks, Ardell

WR Harris, Wayne

TE Mulder, Terik

QB DeShields, Dru

RB King, Mason

WR Smith, Jeremiah

WR McCuin, Devin

WR Inniss, Brandon

TE Roberts, Nate

QB Sayin, Julian

RB Jackson, Bo

Passing: Dru DeShields (311)

Rushing: Dru DeShields (101)

Receiving: Wayne Harris (93)

Touchdowns: Dru DeShields (2)

Passing: Julian Sayin (598)

Rushing: Bo Jackson (157)

Receiving: Jeremiah Smith (315)

Touchdowns: Jeremiah Smith (3)

Coaches:

Kent State Golden Flashes: Mark Carney (2nd season)

Ohio State Buckeyes: Ryan Day (9th season)