Ohio State Buckeyes at Penn State Nittany Lions Betting Preview

The Ohio State Buckeyes will face their first real test of the season when they take on the Penn State Nittany Lions in Happy Valley this week. Ohio State is the only Big Ten school with a real chance of making the College Football Playoff, and this is one of the two potential missteps for the Buckeyes in the regular season. The Nittany Lions are being somewhat dismissed after losing to Indiana last week, but they were very unlucky to lose that game and have been very competitive against the Buckeyes for the last four years.

College Football Betting Odds

Ohio State -10.5

Penn State +10.5

Total 64

The Buckeyes opened as double-digit favorites in this game, but this line is likely to drop below 10 points before kickoff. Penn State has covered each of its last four games against Ohio State coming into Saturday night’s game.

Penn State Offense vs. Ohio State Defense

Sean Clifford didn’t get off to a great start against Indiana last week, but he is a talented dual-threat quarterback. Clifford ran for 119 yards and a touchdown against the Hoosiers, and that’s something Ohio State had trouble dealing with against Nebraska. Adrian Martinez and Luke McCaffrey combined to run 22 times for 165 yards against this Buckeyes’ front, so Penn State will look to exploit that perceived deficiency.

We didn’t see Nebraska’s running backs have much success against Ohio State, but the Nittany Lions will certainly try to get Devyn Ford going on Saturday. Ford only averaged 3.5 YPC in the opener, yet he is the clear top option with both Noah Cain and Journey Brown out due to long-term injuries.

Pat Freiermuth is likely to be Clifford’s primary target now that K.J. Hamler is in the NFL, and Jahan Dotson proved that he can be a deep threat. Ohio State’s defense has a ton of talent, but it certainly hurts to lose two stars that went in the first three picks of the draft.

Ohio State Offense vs. Penn State Defense

With Trevor Lawrence out for at least two weeks due to COVID-19, Justin Fields is now the favorite to win the Heisman Trophy. Fields was one of the top quarterbacks in the country in 2019, and he was nearly flawless in his debut last week. He completed 20 of 21 passes for 276 yards and two touchdowns, and he also ran for 54 yards and a touchdown.

Ohio State’s ground game had some trouble though. Trey Sermon and Master Teague III were seen as the best running back tandem in the country coming into the 2020 season, but they could only muster 23 carries for 89 yards against Nebraska. Penn State has long had one of the best run defenses in the nation, and they are unlikely to allow the Buckeyes to rip off big gains.

Ryan Day got some great news when it was announced that Chris Olave would be healthy for this week’s game. He landed awkwardly while trying to come back for an underthrown ball last week, and his status was up in the air. Olave was a Preseason First Team All-Big Ten selection, and he could be primed for a big performance in Happy Valley.

Prediction

Penn State getting more than 10 points is excellent value, as the Nittany Lions are good enough to pull off the upset against Ohio State and shake up the Big Ten landscape.

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