How strong is defending Big Ten champion Ohio State’s grip on the conference?

Penn State, the 2016 league champion, will do its best to find out.

When the Buckeyes visit the Nittany Lions (7:30 p.m. ET Saturday, ABC) in Happy Valley, we won’t get a clear answer on who will represent the East Division in the B1G title game. But we will get a lot of clues.

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The Buckeyes are missing one big piece and they are running into a healthy and motivated PSU bunch. So here are five things I’d like to see from the Buckeyes:

No D-line dropoff

All-American defensive end Nick Bosa might be out until November after he had surgery, so OSU is without its top star on defense. Defensive tackle Robert Landers will return after missing last week’s game against Tulane, according to Cleveland.com. There were times in OSU’s first three games when Landers looked as destructive as anyone you’d care to name at his position. The whole line needs to play that way.

Return of 1-2 RB punch

Mike Weber is also set to play on Saturday, again according to Cleveland.com, meaning that the Buckeyes should have their explosive running back combination in effect. Weber left the Tulane game with a sprained foot and the Buckeyes missed him; they rushed for a season-low 151 yards on just 4 yards a carry against the Green Wave.

Steady secondary

Ohio State has been decent against the pass this season but Trace McSorley is by far the best quarterback they have seen. He’s almost surely the best they will see all season. In fact, if the Buckeyes secondary does not play well, McSorley might pass Christian Hackenberg for the most career passing yards in Nittany Lions history. Ohio State has allowed big chunks of yardage at times this season so the secondary needs to be at its best.

A special play

According to advanced metrics, Ohio State is in the middle of the pack in special teams play this season. Penn State is worse, though it’s worth noting that the Nittany Lions are 18th in punt returns at 18.8 yards per attempt. A big punt, a long field goal, or an electric return could turn the game in one team’s favor. Perhaps an unheralded player can make a heralded play on special teams for the Buckeyes.

Silence crowd early

Buckeyes coach Urban Meyer said Penn State is one of the five hardest stadiums in college football to play in, and for good reason. So Ohio State would do well to tack on a couple of touchdowns early. This is true for any game but considering the stakes, and what is sure to be a fired-up PSU fan base, it is doubly important here. Dwayne Haskins has been outstanding for OSU but he’s still a kid with just four starts as a college quarterback under his belt so the coaches will want him to find his feet early.