Penn State Pregame Picks: Staff Score Predictions, Picks Against the Spread, and Eleven Warriors House Prop Bets

The No. 5 Ohio State Buckeyes welcome the No. 20 Penn State Nittany Lions for a primetime affair at Ohio Stadium tonight in a game that seemed much bigger three weeks ago than it looms at the present.

Thanks to back-to-back losses, Penn State enters the game as 18.5-point underdogs with a projected over/under of 60.5 against a Buckeye team that is clicking on all cylinders.

The home team plans to “Scarlet Out” the Shoe and will dress for the occasion.

SCARLET.

THE.

SHOE. #GoBucks pic.twitter.com/zi1LRUo9tZ

— Ohio State Football (@OhioStateFB) October 30, 2021

ONE MORE SLEEP #GoBucks pic.twitter.com/Caz6jj93fr

— Ohio State Football (@OhioStateFB) October 30, 2021

Eleven Warriors Staff Score Predictions

Dan Hope: Ohio State 38, Penn State 20. "I expect Penn State’s defense to keep the game mostly competitive, but don’t think the Nittany Lions will have enough offense to keep up in the end."

Griffin Strom: Ohio State 41, Penn State 21. "Good defense or not, I can’t see Penn State slowing down the Buckeyes enough to win, and especially with the sputtering offense it has displayed more often than not this season."

Chris Lauderback: Ohio State 42, Penn State 21. "Penn State will score some garbage points late to make it look closer than reality as Ohio State cruises."

“I'm starting to believe Ohio State has a generational offense in the works.”

Ramzy Nasrallah: Ohio State 41, Penn State 16. "I've got the Buckeyes winning 41-16 on four offensive touchdowns, one non-offensive touchdown, and two field goals because I think this is a defense Ryan Day respects enough to take the points when they’re there. Penn State scores 16 on account of one regrettable drive (there's always one) and some field goals.”

Johnny Ginter: Ohio State 42, Penn State 14. "I'm starting to believe that Ohio State has a generational offense in the works and I really don't see them losing another Big Ten game in 2021 unless they come into a game seriously underprepared. Killer tomatoes by a lot."

Kyle Jones: Ohio State 42, Penn State 24. "Penn State will be able to get a couple of stops early and even get on the board after a well-scripted opening drive gets them into the end zone, but eventually, the Buckeyes get rolling and pull away."

Matt Gutridge: Ohio State 38, Penn State 13. "I wanted to go with the Buckeyes extending their 50+ point streak, but I think Penn State's defense is good. I hope I'm wrong."

Will Ohio State Cover?

The current Vegas spread sits at Ohio State -18.5 after the Buckeyes opened as 15-point favorites over Penn State earlier this week.

With the current odds, 57 percent (8 of 14) of our staff predictions have Ohio State covering while the other 43 percent (6 of 14) have the Buckeyes winning, but not covering.

Nobody predicted Penn State to win outright.

What About the Over?

The game scoring total opened at 63.5 points earlier this week, but has since fallen a few points to 60.5. Still, our staff predictions like the under.

Of our 14 predictions, eight are picking the game to go under the total while the remaining six predict the over to hit. 70 points is the highest predicted scoring total while 48 is the lowest.

Eleven Warriors House Prop Bets

Let's make the game a little more interesting with a few prop lines set right here by Eleven Warriors. Make your predictions in the comments and compete for bragging rights.

• How many passing yards will C.J. Stroud have?
  • Over 275.5 yards (-110)
  • Under 275 yards (-110)
• How many turnovers will the Ohio State defense force?
  • Over 1.5 turnovers (+160)
  • Under 1.5 turnovers (-180)
• How many times will Ohio State punt?
  • ​Over 2.5 punts (-150)
  • Under 2.5 punts (+130)

Ohio State and Penn State will clash under the scarlet lights of Ohio Stadium at 7:30 p.m. tonight. Don't forget to make your official Eleven Warriors Prognostication before kickoff for a chance to win a free shirt from Eleven Warriors Dry Goods.