The two top teams in the preseason college football rankings from the Big Ten meet on Saturday night when Ohio State heads east to take on Penn State. Ohio State began its season with a 52-17 shellacking of Nebraska. However, Penn State stumbled in their opener, falling on the road to Indiana in overtime. The Buckeyes have Justin Fields, one of the top players in the nation, at quarterback, and he was terrific in the opener, going 20 of 21 for 276 yards in the air, a 95.2% completion rate that is second in Big Ten history for a quarterback with at least 15 attempts. Can they keep that momentum up against Penn State? Or will the Nittany Lions post a huge upset?
Check out our college football betting preview of this Big Ten East matchup.
NCAAF: Ohio State at Penn State
Why should you bet on the Buckeyes?
The road is a place where Ohio State has thrived in recent years. Since the beginning of the 2012 campaign, the Buckeyes are 34-3 in true road games, a 91.8% winning percentage that is only second in college football to Oklahoma. Their average margin of victory over those contests has been 18.6 points.
If Ohio State is going to have problems, they would come if the Penn State passing game can get going. If they can keep Penn State on the ground, then that makes things manageable. Sean Clifford can run at quarterback, but the tailback posse is thin. There’s Devyn Ford, and then there’s the deep bench. Noah Cain is done for the year, and Journey Brown won’t be back for several more weeks, if he returns at all. If you like Ohio State, you see them continuing to apply their pressure defense and run off points, until they wear down the Nittany Lions.
Why should you put your money on the Nittany Lions?
Quarterback Sean Clifford is a true dual-threat signal-caller, as he can beat teams with the pass and on the run. Against Indiana, he went 24 of 35 for 238 yards and three touchdown passes, and he also ran for 119 yards on 17 carries — including a 35-yard touchdown scamper. He accounted for 357 all-purpose yards, the third-highest total in his career. Ohio State had Adrian Martinez to deal with last week, and while the Nebraska quarterback has a terrific arm, he is a pocket passer with limited mobility.
Penn State has given Ohio State a tough time at Beaver Stadium in recent meetings. The last three encounters here have been decided by no more than seven points. In 2014, Ohio State won by seven — but in double overtime. Two years later, then-unranked Penn State knocked off the second-ranked Buckeyes. In 2018, Ohio State won by a single point. So even if Ohio State can scratch out a win, this is a huge line given the history of the rivalry.
Final Score and Prediction
You can expect maximum effort out of Penn State in this game. Head coach James Franklin might not be a master tactician as far as in-game strategy goes, but he has recruited well and has a team that works hard from whistle to whistle. Their defense had some lapses against Indiana, but they’re far from the only team to have some growing pains on that side of the ball in their opener (remember, Big Ten play just started last week). I look at the history of this rivalry, and I think that Penn State will rely on a grinding style to chew up some clock and keep Justin Fields on the bench for as much of the game as possible. I predict a final score of Ohio State 31, Penn State 23.
NCAAF | Game Details
Saturday, October 31, 2020
7:30 pm ET
Beaver Stadium, State College, PA
ABC
Razorback Sports Network / Texas A&M Aggie Sports Network
NCAAF | Game Odds
Ohio State: -11
Total: 64.5
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