Penn State vs Ohio State Odds, Picks and Preview
- #5 Ohio State is an 18.5-point home favorite over #20 Penn State on Saturday night
- The Buckeyes have won five games in a row by an average of 41.6 points
- A look at the odds and matchups can be found below with a prediction
Surging #5 Ohio State looks to continue to build momentum when it hosts struggling #20 Penn State at 7:30 p.m. ET Saturday at Ohio Stadium in Columbus.
Ohio State (6-1, 4-0 Big Ten) has won five in a row since losing to Oregon on Sept. 11. Penn State (5-2, 2-2) has lost back-to-back games to Iowa and Illinois after opening the season 5-2.
The Buckeyes are big favorites in a game that will be televised by ABC at 7:30pm EST.
Penn State vs Ohio State Odds
| Team | Moneyline | Spread | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Penn State | +600 | +18.5 (-110) | Over 59.5 (-115) |
| Ohio State | -900 | -18.5 (-110) | Under 59.5 (-105) |
Odds as of October 27th at DraftKings
Nittany Lions Sputtering
Penn State is coming off an ugly 20-18 loss at home to Illinois last Saturday that took an NCAA-record nine overtimes. The Nittany Lions were favored by 23.5 points.
The health of quarterback Sean Clifford was called into question as he looked visibly hampered throughout the game. Clifford was knocked out of the previous game against Iowa in the second quarter because of what has been reported to be a rib injury.
https://twitter.com/mambaking19/status/1452006963001298948
Against Illinois, Clifford completed 19 of 34 passes for 164 yards and one touchdown while being sacked four times. Penn State has managed only one touchdown in the six quarters and nine overtime periods since Clifford was injured.
Penn State coach James Franklin says he believes Clifford will be “100%” for Saturday’s game.
It hasn’t helped that Penn State’s running game ranks 100th among the 130 FBS school with an average of 111.4 yards a game. The Nittany Lions have averaged 3.0 yards or less a carry in four of their seven games.
The Nittany Lions were also without standout defensive tackle PJ Mustipher, who sustained a season-ending lower leg injury at Iowa. Illinois’ Chase Brown rushed for 223 yards on 33 carries with Mustipher sidelined, the most yards by an opposing back since Michigan State’s Sedrick Irvin’s 238 in 1997.
Nine overtimes later and @chasebrown____ made his case for 𝘽1𝙂 𝙊𝙛𝙛𝙚𝙣𝙨𝙞𝙫𝙚 𝙋𝙡𝙖𝙮𝙚𝙧 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙒𝙚𝙚𝙠!
Brown ran for 223 yards and 1 TD in @IlliniFootball's upset on Saturday. pic.twitter.com/vfdc5KfW1n
— Illinois on BTN (@IllinoisOnBTN) October 25, 2021
Buckeyes Rolling
Ohio State won 25 consecutive games inside the Big Ten, including a conference-record 11 in a row by double digits. Last Saturday, the Buckeyes routed Indiana 54-7 on the road.
The Buckeyes’ average margin of victory during its winning streak is 41.6 points, They lead the nation in scoring (48.5 points a game) and total yardage (562.7 a game).
Ohio State has 16 touchdowns and two field goals in its last 18 first-half drives that have not resulted in the clock running out.
Running back TreVeyon Henderson has been a revelation. He has already scored 14 touchdowns this season, leaving him four short of the school freshman record set by Maurice Clarett in 2002.
https://twitter.com/hobokenjustin/status/1452078786720288768
Ohio State’s high-powered offense could get some resistance from Penn State’s defense, though. The Nittany Lions is sixth in the country in points allowed with a 14.7 average.
However, Ohio State freshman quarterback C.J. Stroud has been on fire since sitting out a win over Akron on Sept. 25 to rest a sore shoulder. In the ensuing three games, he has completed 73.8% of his passes for 1,002 yards and 14 touchdowns with no interceptions.
Good Morning to CJ Stroud and the Ohio State offense ONLY pic.twitter.com/NCF1Nf3qZ2
— THE™ Jessi Davin (@jessithebuckeye) October 24, 2021
Penn State vs Ohio State Prediction
Ohio State has won four games in a row – two by only one point – in the series and eight of the last nine. Penn State hasn’t won in Columbus since 2011, the year Jim Tressel resigned as the Buckeyes’ coach and Ohio State went 6-7 with Luke Fickell as interim coach.
The Buckeyes posted a 38-25 win last season in State College.
Ohio State has scored more than 50 points in four straight games and gained over 500 yards in each of their last six games. With Clifford clearly not himself, it’s hard to imagine Penn State matching points with the Buckeyes.
The Pick: Ohio State -18.5 (-110)
John Perrotto has been covering and writing about sports for various outlets for over 40 years. His work has appeared in the likes of USA TODAY, ESPN.com, SI.com, Forbes.com, The Associated Press, Baseball Digest, and more. John is based out of Beaver Falls, PA.
