Minnesota Golden Gophers vs Ohio State Buckeyes Prediction, Picks and Game Preview - 10/04/2025

Game Time: 7:30 pm ET, Saturday, October 4, 2025

Venue:  Ohio Stadium, Columbus, OH

Where to Watch:  NBC, Peacock

DraftKings:  Point Spread:  Minnesota +23.5, Ohio State -23.5; Over/Under:  44.5 points

Bet365:  Point Spread:  Minnesota +23.5, Ohio State -23.5; Over/Under:  44.5 points

BetMGM:  Point Spread:  Minnesota +24, Ohio State -24; Over/Under:  44.5 points

Minnesota Golden Gophers:  3-1 (1-0) (6th place, Big Ten)

Ohio State Buckeyes:  4-0 (1-0) (3rd place, Big Ten)

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Minnesota Golden Gophers:  won their last game at home against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights 31-28.

Ohio State Buckeyes:  won their last game on the road against the Washington Huskies 24-6.

Minnesota is entering this game with a 3-1 record overall and they have a 1-0 record in their conference games too. They are 3-0 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 Rutgers 31-28. Drake Lindsey was the starting QB and he completed 31/41 passes for 324 passing yards, 3 touchdowns, and 0 interceptions. Fame Ijeboi led the team in rushing yards with 37 and 1 TD. Jalen Smith led the receivers with 103 receiving yards on 4 receptions and 1 TD. Za'Quan Bryan led the defense in that game with 5 solo tackles and 2 assisted tackles while Anthony Smith led the defense in sacks with 1.5. Kerry Brown came away with the only interception for them in that one.

 

 

 

Ohio State is entering this game with a 4-0 record overall and they have a 1-0 record in their conference games too. They are 3-0 in their home games, 1-0 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 won their last game against Washington 24-6. Julian Sayin was the starting QB and he completed 22/28 passes for 208 passing yards, 2 touchdowns, and 0 interceptions. Bo Jackson led the team in rushing yards with 80. Jeremiah Smith led the receivers with 81 receiving yards on 8 receptions and 1 TD. Caden Curry led the defense in that game with 9 solo tackles and 2 assisted tackles while Caden Curry led the defense in sacks with 3. No one on the defense came away with an interception for them in that one.

The current betting odds have Ohio State listed as a 23.5 point favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. Ohio State has looked great in their games this season with their 4-0 record overall and their 1-0 conference record which has them right near the top of the Big Ten. They won the National Championship last season and they are once again showing why they are one of the best teams in the nation this season too. They have some good wins under their belt like their win over Texas and they are off a tough road win against Washington in their last one, winning 24-6. Their offense hasn't been at its best all season, but they haven't needed to do too much since they have one of the best defenses in the nation. They also have a ton of talent on offense still and that talent will show up when they need it. Meanwhile, Minnesota has looked good in their games this season with their 3-1 record overall and their 1-0 conference record which has them higher in the Big Ten. They are off a big home win over Rutgers in their last one, but they struggled a lot in that game. Their defense didn't look great against that Rutgers offense and they were also trailing for most of that game. They had a really good effort to come back and win at home, but now they are going on the road against the best team in the nation and this won't be a game where they can get back up like that. Minnesota doesn't have a great offense either so they are going to struggle to even move the ball on this Ohio State defense, and Ohio State will be able to pull away throughout the game. The best way to place a bet here is on Ohio State to cover the spread in this game. 

Minnesota Ohio State Prediction:  Our NCAAF Pick for Saturday, October 4, 2025 (7:30 pm ET start time) is Ohio State 45 Minnesota 17.

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Minnesota Golden Gophers: 20-30 ATS vs. good passing defenses - allowing 5.75 or less passing yards/att. 30-39 ATS versus good defensive teams - allowing 4.5 yards/play or less. 10-3 UNDER as an underdog of 21.5 to 31 points. 16-10 UNDER on the road vs. good passing teams averaging 250 or more passing yards/game.

Ohio State Buckeyes: 20-11 ATS in all lined games. 12-5 ATS as a home favorite. 12-3 ATS when playing against a top-level team (Win Pct. > 75%). 21-12 UNDER in all lined games. 6-1 UNDER as a favorite of 21.5 to 31 points. 15-5 UNDER against conference opponents.

Minnesota Golden Gophers:  B. Martino (WR) Questionable - Undisclosed. D. Shipp (OG) Questionable - Undisclosed. S. Henson (K) Questionable - Undisclosed. G. Monroe (CB) Questionable - Undisclosed. D. Taylor (RB) Questionable - Leg. T. Randle (DL) Questionable - Undisclosed. C. Driver (WR) Questionable - Undisclosed. N. Parrish (CB) Questionable - Undisclosed. A. Turner (RB) Out - Undisclosed. D. Wilson (LB) Out - Undisclosed. M. Omonode (DL) Out - Undisclosed.

Ohio State Buckeyes:  M. Maggs (QB) Questionable - Undisclosed. M. Roy (DL) Questionable - Undisclosed. D. Stewart (S) Questionable - Undisclosed. I. Jones (S) Questionable - Undisclosed. A. Tounkara (DL) Questionable - Undisclosed. E. Lee (LB) Questionable - Undisclosed.

“They just told me they were going to put it in my hands and we’re going to win this game. That puts a lot of confidence in the offense and in me, knowing that they’re putting it on me and our guys to go make plays, and we went and did it.” - Drake Lindsay after their win against Rutgers in their last game. 

“It’s a great reference point to come into a stadium like this. It was great for our guys to see some red here. Anytime you take a young team on the road, it’s great to have familiar faces on the road, and they had a presence. And that was great.” - Ryan Day after his team’s win against Washington in their last game. 

WR Brockington, Le'Meke

WR Smith, Jalen

WR Loya, Logan

TE Geers, Jameson

QB Lindsey, Drake

RB Taylor, Darius

FB Bierman, Frank

WR Tate, Carnell

WR Smith, Jeremiah

WR Inniss, Brandon

TE Kacmarek, Will

QB Sayin, Julian

RB Donaldson, CJ

Passing: Drake Lindsey (958)

Rushing: Fame Ijeboi (173)

Receiving: Javon Tracy (204)

Touchdowns: Cam Davis (2)

Passing: Julian Sayin (987)

Rushing: Bo Jackson (297)

Receiving: Jeremiah Smith (396)

Touchdowns: Jeremiah Smith (5)

Coaches:

Minnesota Golden Gophers: P.J. Fleck (9th season)

Ohio State Buckeyes: Ryan Day (8th season)