Jeremiah Smith is a cheat code.
If Ohio State’s star wide receiver is covered one-on-one, that means he’s open.
If he’s double covered, he’s sort of open.
If he’s triple covered, he’s covered.
That means somebody’s got to be open somewhere else.
Buckeyes head coach Ryan Day had some fun echoing a similar sentiment with reporters this week.
His junior wide receiver from Miami Gardens, Florida has emerged as the obvious Heisman Trophy favourite at FanDuel following a record-setting stretch in which he recorded 23 receptions for 423 yards and six touchdowns in a pair of victories over Illinois and Iowa.
Smith is the first Buckeyes wide receiver ever to top 200 receiving yards in back-to-back games.
Two weeks after becoming Ohio State’s all-time leader in receiving yards, Smith broke Chris Olave’s school record for receiving touchdowns and Emeka Egbuka’s school record for career receptions.
Smith to win the Heisman Trophy has gone from +1700 to -110 as the obvious favourite entering this weekend.
No other player is shorter than +700 to win it at FanDuel.
Next up, No. 5 Ohio State hosts Maryland later today.
The Buckeyes are a 33.5-point favourite at FanDuel.
Smith to score an anytime touchdown is -600 – an 85.7 per cent implied probability.
Smith 2+ touchdowns is -120 – shorter odds than any other player to score an anytime TD outside of teammates Ja’Kobi Jackson and Bo Jackson.
FanDuel set Smith’s receptions line at 8.5 and his receiving yards line at 149.5.
At this point, would anybody really be surprised if he went for 10+ receptions, 150+ yards and 2+ scores?
While Smith has a chance to pad his stats versus Maryland, the Buckeyes also need him rested and ready for their toughest stretch of the season.
Ohio State will visit No. 7 Indiana on October 17th.
The Buckeyes get two weeks off after that before playing No. 19 USC in California on Halloween night.
The following week, Ohio State will host No. 13 Oregon.
With Smith performing at an elite level and the offence firing on all cylinders, it’s going to be a treat to watch the top two choices to win the Big Ten Conference Championship go head-to-head next week.
Ohio State is -115 to win the Big Ten and +410 to win the College Football Playoff National Championship.
Indiana is +250 to win the Big Ten and +950 to win the FBS Championship at FanDuel this morning.
Speaking of conference titles and the College Football Playoff, SEC rivals Georgia and Alabama are set to meet in the most highly anticipated clash of the week at 7:30 ET.
The No. 2 Bulldogs and No. 6 Tide are both 5-0.
It’s just the second time in the last 130 years that these teams have met with both sides at 5-0 or better.
Georgia opened as a 1.5-point favourite for today’s clash, but the line has flipped to Alabama -1.5 at FanDuel.
The Bulldogs have been favoured in 19 straight games but that’s about to change today if the number holds.
Over the last 15 seasons, home teams are 28-4 in clashes between undefeated teams at non-neutral sites.
Regardless of which team wins in Tuscaloosa, Alabama and Georgia will both remain on pace for the playoff.
The Bulldogs are the SEC Conference Championship favourite at +195 and the second choice to win the College Football Playoff National Championship at +500 behind Ohio State.
Alabama is a little further down the list of FBS title contenders at +900 and is the third choice to win the SEC title at +290 behind Georgia (+195) and Texas (+260).
With Ohio State set to kick off at 4:15 PM ET, followed by Alabama and Georgia at 7:30 PM ET on TSN2, you know what I’ll be watching tonight.
Enjoy the football, everyone!