Ohio State has plenty to prove when the Buckeyes head to Happy Valley for a top-five matchup with undefeated Penn State.
On the heels of a less-than-impressive performance against Nebraska last week — in which the Buckeyes squeaked out a 21-17 victory over the visiting Cornhuskers — all eyes have been on the Woody Hayes Athletic Center as head coach Ryan Day looks to right the ship against the Nittany Lions.
The Buckeyes and Nittany Lions will kick off at noon on FOX, with both Big Noon Kickoff and ESPN’s College GameDay on hand for the clash between the Big Ten elite.
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Although largely confident the Buckeyes will find a way to leave State College, Pennsylvania, with a win, the Eleven Warriors staff was not unanimous in its pregame picks this week.
SCORE PREDICTIONS
Andy Anders – Ohio State 28, Penn State 24: The Buckeyes prove efficient through the air when Will Howard gets time to throw and the defense smothers a Nittany Lion attack lacking in firepower out wide.
Chase Brown – Ohio State 24, Penn State 21: Ohio State’s Big Ten championship hopes are on the line in State College. I expect the Buckeyes to overcome their challenges on the offensive line while leaning on a defense that looks much improved from its lackluster showing against Oregon three weeks ago. They win a close one at the always-hostile Beaver Stadium, 24-21.
George Eisner – Ohio State 28, Penn State 23: My greatest hope for this game is that the Happy Valley faithful make it three weeks in a row that a college football crowd throws trash on the field in protest. The debris inadvertently hits James Franklin and he attempts to charge the stands to fight the fans out of frustration, as he did after losing to the Buckeyes in 2018.
Jack Emerson – Ohio State 24, Penn State 21: Although Ohio State’s offensive line has been the topic of negative discussion over the past week, I believe the unit will be able to do just enough to allow the Buckeyes to leave Happy Valley with a tight victory.
Johnny Ginter – Penn State 24, Ohio State 21: The issues with the offensive line are just too damning to overcome, and I expect a close game where the home-field advantage makes the difference.
Matt Gutridge – Ohio State 28, Penn State 20: The sky is blue, water is wet and Ohio State beats Penn State. James Franklin loses to the Buckeyes for the tenth time as the non-rivals lose eight consecutive to the team from Columbus.
Garrick Hodge – Ohio State 31, Penn State 27: I don’t trust Ohio State’s offensive line, but I trust Big Game James even less.
Dan Hope – Penn State 24, Ohio State 21: I could easily talk myself into Ohio State winning this game — just as I did before the Oregon game and last year’s Michigan game — but I’m gonna go with my gut this time. Rolling out a new-look offensive line while playing a tough defense in one of college football’s most hostile environments is a tall order, and last week’s performance against Nebraska leaves me with real doubts that the Buckeyes will run the ball well enough to sustain the drives they’ll need to win this game.
Kyle Jones – Ohio State 24, Penn State 20: Both defenses dictate the action for much of the game, with scoring opportunities coming at a premium. However, the Buckeye skill players on offense break a couple of big plays that prove to be the difference in an otherwise ugly contest.
Chris Lauderback – Ohio State 23, Penn State 20: I won't be surprised if Ohio State loses this game. That said, I can't pick James Franklin to win a big game, not even over Ryan Day, at this point. I like Ohio State's defense and its receivers to barely overcome what will probably still be a terrible rushing attack from the Buckeyes.
Ramzy Nasrallah – Ohio State 28, Penn State 20: Picking the Buckeyes to win a top-five matchup coming off the performance they just had against Nebraska, along with Ryan Day’s history in them seems like willful negligence - until you remember who Penn State’s coach is.
Josh Poloha – Ohio State 24, Penn State 21: The Buckeyes find a way late in the game to squeak out a big-time win in Happy Valley.
Jason Priestas – Ohio State 31, Penn State 23: As is often the case lately when these teams clash, it will be tight, and Penn State might even have the lead heading into the fourth quarter, before the Buckeyes pull away to notch their first signature win of the season.
Jordan Raines – Ohio State 24, Penn State 20: Ohio State’s offensive line struggles, but the defense plays well enough to allow them to get out of Happy Valley with a narrow victory.
WILL OHIO STATE COVER?
Ohio State heads into Beaver Stadium as a road favorite, with Vegas setting the line at -3 in favor of the Buckeyes.
Eight members of the Eleven Warriors staff believe the Buckeyes will cover the tight spread, while — weirdly enough — four experts expect the line to push. Johnny Ginter and Dan Hope expect Penn State to cover the spread, as both members picked the Nittany Lions to win outright on Saturday.
WHAT ABOUT THE OVER/UNDER?
Ahead of Saturday’s contest, oddsmakers anticipated a defensive affair in Beaver Stadium, setting the total for the top-five matchup at 46.5 points.
The majority of the Eleven Warriors staff expects the under to hit — with five members predicting a 24-21 final score — while Andy Anders, George Eisner, Matt Gutridge, Garrick Hodge, Ramzy Nasrallah and Jason Priestas anticipate both offenses to produce just enough for the over to hit.
ELEVEN WARRIORS PROP BETS
Looking for more lines to evaluate? Take a peek at our in-house prop betting lines for this matchup to get a greater sense of what oddsmakers are expecting from individual performances. Leave your predictions for us in the comments and compete for bragging rights!
Who will finish with more rushing yards?
- TreVeyon Henderson (-110)
- Quinshon Judkins (-110)
How many passing yards will Will Howard finish with?
- Over 260.5 (-110)
- Under 260.5 (+100)
How many times will Will Howard be sacked?
- Over 3.5 (+250)
- Under 3.5 (-200)
