Ohio State vs. Penn State: Prediction and preview
Ohio State vs. Penn State brings another top-15 rivalry matchup to the Week 9 slate. This time around, the Buckeyes will travel to Happy Valley with a 12 p.m. ET kickoff scheduled on FOX.
Ohio State vs. Penn State preview
Coming into Week 9, both Ohio State and Penn State have produced strong seasons with the Nittany Lions’ only loss coming on the road to Michigan. With that in mind, both teams on the field Saturday can legitimately claim to maintain some level of championship aspirations.
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It will also be another top-15 matchup between the two sides at the time of kickoff. Ohio State checked in at No. 2 in the updated AP Poll while Penn State sits at No. 13 after a strong win over Minnesota.
As for recent history, Penn State has been able to keep things close against the Buckeyes but getting the win has proven difficult. Ohio State is 9-1 in the series since 2012 with Penn State’s only win over that timespan a 2016 victory by a 24-21 final score.
Since 2017, the Buckeyes have won 5 straight with an average margin of victory of 7 points. However, Ohio State has won 3 straight games by 9+ points, including a 33-24 win during the 2021 season.
There’s also no denying the odds are in Ohio State’s favor for the Week 9 matchup. The Buckeyes are riding a streak of 6 straight games of at least 45 points scored, and that includes a dominant outburst of 54 points against Iowa in Week 8.
Ohio State is still led by QB CJ Stroud, who is completing 70% of passes this season for over 2,000 yards and 28 touchdowns with just 4 interceptions. With 5 games to go in the season, Stroud is 22 touchdowns away from tying Dwayne Haskins’ program record of 50 passing touchdowns in a season.
Making the matchup even more difficult for Penn State is the plan that Jaxon Smith-Njigba should be on the field for the Buckeyes. Smith-Njigba played against Iowa but was on a 20-play snap count per head coach Ryan Day.
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Penn State will hope its talented secondary will be on task for at least slowing Ohio State at times on Saturday. That secondary includes Joey Porter Jr., Ji’Ayir Brown and Kalen King.
Ohio State vs. Penn State prediction
Fans will undoubtedly point to Penn State’s struggles against Michigan as a reason for a blowout against Ohio State, but there are a few scenarios where the Nittany Lions are able to hang with the Buckeyes deep into the game. Unfortunately, even if those scenarios play out, it’s hard to envision Penn State actually completing the monumental upset against Ryan Day’s squad and prolific offense.
Prediction: Ohio State 38, Penn State 24