College football fans and bettors are pumped up to have the Big Ten back in business, and this Saturday’s meeting between the Ohio State Buckeyes and the Penn State Nittany Lions is a highly anticipated one. One team (Ohio State) is coming off of a high after defeating their first game opponent in crushing fashion, while the other (Penn State) lost a heartbreaker to rival Indiana Hoosiers by just one point. The sportsbook favors the Buckeyes by a pair of TDs, but will Penn State buck the ‘book with an upset win? Let’s review.
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Betting Preview for the Ohio State Buckeyes vs Penn State Nittany Lions NCAA Week 9 College Football Game on October 31, 2020
Where: Beaver Stadium
When: Saturday, October 31, 2020, 7:30 PM ET
Line: Ohio State Buckeyes (-13) vs. Penn State Nittany Lions (+13) – view all 2020 NCAAF lines
TV Broadcast: ABC
Betting on the Ohio State Buckeyes (-13)
Record: 1-0 Overall / 1-0 Conference
The Buckeyes’ first game of the season went just about how most people expected it to go: with thunderous destruction of the Nebraska Cornhuskers. Led by star quarterback Justin Fields, the Buckeyes scored an easy 52-17 home win over Nebraska, even covering the 27.5-point spread as home favorites. Fields didn’t look affected at all by the delayed start of the Big 12 season, as he completed 20 of 21 passes for 276 yards and two touchdowns without an interception. He also led the team with 54 rushing yards to go with a touchdown on 15 carries. Judging from that win, it seems that Fields and his receivers are going to have lots of fun this year. Garrett Wilson had 129 receiving yards and a touchdown on seven catches, while Chris Olave had 104 receiving yards on six catches. Jaxon-Smith Njigba made a great play to score a touchdown as well. It’s possible that the Buckeyes were not even close to 100 percent form in the Nebraska game, as the rushing attack had to deal with some wrinkles, and that’s saying a lot, considering that Ohio State had a total of 215 rushing yards and four touchdowns on 48 carries.
The under is 3-0 in the Buckeyes’ last three games overall.
Betting on the Penn State Nittany Lions (+13)
Record: 0-1 Overall / 0-1 Conference
Unlike Ohio State, the Nittany Lions did not start on the right foot, as they lost their season-opener against the Indiana Hoosiers on the road last Saturday to the tune of a 36-35 score in overtime. If Penn State is going to make loud noises this season, it will have to ask for cleaner performances from quarterback Sean Clifford than what he showed in the Indiana game, wherein he went 24-of-35 for 238 yards and three touchdowns, but also threw two picks. Penn State’s defense, despite the number of points it allowed to the Hoosiers, is alright. It limited Indiana down to only 41 rushing yards on 26 carries for a poor 1.6 yards-per-carry average. Penn State also recorded three sacks. The Nittany Lions did allow three rushing scores, but they should be able to straighten out their red-zone defense, which they need to do quickly as the Buckeyes game is only days away. Last year, the Nittany Lions allowed just 3.8 yards per carry to Ohio State and sacked Fields three times, albeit in a 28-17 road loss.
The over is 2-0 in the Nittany Lions’ last two games overall.
Writer’s Prediction
Ohio State wins, 37-27.
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