Game Prediction: No. 2 Ohio State Buckeyes at No. 13 Penn State Nittany Lions
Second-ranked Ohio State hits the road for just the second time this season on Saturday when it travels to No. 13 Penn State for a rare noon game in the series.
The Buckeyes have won five straight against the Nittany Lions by an average of seven points, as well as nine of the last 10 matchups, with the last loss coming on a blocked field goal return for a touchdown in 2016.
That said, here's how our staff at BuckeyesNow expects this weekend's game to go down:
What's The Betting Line For Ohio State at Penn State?
OHIO STATE at PENN STATE – Saturday, 12 p.m. on FOX
Spread: Ohio State (-15)
O/U Total: 60.5
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Ohio State At Penn State Predictions
Brendan Gulick: Ohio State 45, Penn State 17
Penn State is probably going to be the highest quality opponent the Buckeyes have played so far, and I'm willing to acknowledge that this has easily been Ohio State's toughest test in conference play over the aggregate of the last decade.
Games are won and lost in the trenches and Ohio State's line is playing really well on both sides of the ball right now. Even though they're good in coverage, I don't think Penn State is going to be able to generate enough pressure on C.J. Stroud to speed up his timing and force him into bad throws.
I also think the Buckeyes are going to bottle up Penn State's run game, and I'm not all that impressed by what they have in their passing attack. I think the Buckeyes are going to roll in a rare afternoon game in University Park.
Andrew Lind: Ohio State 48, Penn State 21
While this is the best offense Ohio State has faced all season from a statistical standpoint, Penn State doesn’t do any one thing exceptionally well on that side of the ball that makes me think they’ll be able to keep up on Saturday.
Sure, Sean Clifford a serviceable quarterback who has set multiple school records based upon his longevity as a sixth-year senior, but he’s not a threat to take over the game with his arm or his legs like former quarterback Trace McSorley was.
The Nittany Lions’ only chance is if the running backs Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen can continuously move the chains to keep the Buckeyes’ offense off the field for extended periods of time, and maybe even break a big run or two along the way.
I don’t anticipate that happening, though, and that specific matchup will tell us a lot about what we should expect from Ohio State’s defensive front in the regular-season finale against Michigan, which has its own one-two punch at running back.
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