Penn State Nittany Lions at Ohio State Buckeyes Betting Preview
Saturday night will feature a battle of top-25 Big Ten East teams as the No. 20 Penn State Nittany Lions (5-2, 2-2 in Big Ten) take on the No. 5 Ohio State Buckeyes (6-1, 4-0 in Big Ten). The Buckeyes will host this one at Ohio Stadium, with kickoff scheduled for 7:30 pm ET.
The Nittany Lions are trying to recover from a massive upset at the hands of the unranked Illinois Fighting Illini last week. It took nine overtimes, a new record before Illinois finally pulled out a 20-18 victory.
In the loss, Penn State’s Sean Clifford threw for just 165 yards and a touchdown. Their leading rusher was Noah Cain, who had just 43 yards on 11 carries.
Ohio State has been rolling as of late as they have now won five in a row. Last week, they demolished Indiana to the tune of a 54-7 win.
In the victory, C.J. Stroud threw for 266 yards and four scores. On the ground, TreVeyon Henderson led the rushing attack with 81 yards and two scores on just nine carries.
The Buckeyes are heavy favorites in this one. They are -1200 to win while the Nittany Lions’ moneyline sits at +650. The spread features Penn State +19.5 (-110), and the over/under for total points is 61.5.
More Odds
Ohio State is currently the favorite to win the Big Ten championship at -250. Penn State has just the seventh-best odds at +10000.
In terms of the National Championship, the Buckeyes have the third-best odds of winning it all at +450. Penn State is just +50000 to win it.
By The Numbers
In their last 11 games, Penn State is 9-2 overall and 8-3 against the spread. Against Big Ten opponents, they are 6-2 against the spread in their last eight games.
In their last 20 home games, Ohio State is an incredible 19-1. Also, don’t be surprised if this game hits the over as five of Ohio State’s last seven games have hit that mark.
Penn State Needs Defense To Come Up Big To Bounce Back Against Buckeyes
To say that last week took the wind out of Penn State’s sails is probably a bit of an understatement. They may have gotten caught looking ahead to this weekend’s matchup, but the loss to Illinois could doom a lot of Penn State’s postseason hopes.
Still, a bounceback win against Ohio State would go a long way to getting them back on track, but to do so, they will need their defense to come up big. Right now, Penn State ranks third in the nation allowing just 14.3 points per game to opponents. It will certainly be a tall task against Ohio State’s high octane offense, though.
Leading the Nittany Lions’ offense under center is Sean Clifford. To date, he has thrown for 1,647 yards, 12 touchdowns, and five interceptions. He has also rushed for 145 yards and two scores.
His biggest target thus far has been Jahan Dotson, who has 49 receptions for 563 yards and six touchdowns. Parker Washington (32 receptions, 374 yards, two touchdowns) and Keandre Lambert-Smith (21 receptions, 334 yards, two touchdowns) have also played well.
Ohio State Looks For 26 In A Row
To say that Ohio State has been dominant in the Big Ten would be a bit of an understatement. In fact, coming into play Saturday, the Buckeyes have won 25 in a row against Big Ten opponents and hope to make it 26 this weekend.
Leading the way for Ohio State’s offense is quarterback C.J. Stroud. On the season, he has thrown for 1,965 yards, 22 touchdowns, and just three interceptions.
To date, his favorite targets have been Garrett Wilson (36 receptions, 605 yards, six touchdowns), Jaxon Smith-Njigba (29 receptions, 551 yards, three touchdowns), and Chris Olave (32 receptions, 518 yards, eight touchdowns).
On the ground, it is TreVeyon Henderson leading the way. He has 79 rushes this season for 693 yards and 11 touchdowns.
Ohio State ranks 16th in scoring defense allowing opponents an average of just 18.6 points per game.
Taking Ohio State To Win, But Can They Cover?
For as good as Penn State’s defense has been, they haven’t played an offense like the Buckeyes. Ohio State is the top-ranked offense in the country, averaging 49.3 points per game.
As a result, Penn State’s offense is going to have to pick it up from the 25 points per game they are currently averaging.
Frankly, the Nittany Lions just haven’t proven they can keep up with a team in a shootout, and, for as good as their defense may be, it is just hard to think they can slow down Ohio State much.
For that reason, a Buckeyes’ win seems inevitable, but the question is whether Penn State can cover the 19.5-point spread. Prior to last week, the answer might have been yes, but it wouldn’t be shocking to see last week’s letdown affect their gameplay this week.
For that reason, expect this to be a blowout and for Ohio State to both win and cover the massive spread.
