Big 10 Showdown Looms And We Are Ready To Bet On It

Ohio State vs. Penn State, 12:00 ET

We are starting to at least see the finish line a little bit in the College Football regular season. Or, perhaps more accurately, we're past the halfway mark and teams are starting to figure out their positioning for the College Football Playoff system. Sure, we now get 12 teams in the playoffs which is really cool, but it mostly means that we are just going to argue more about who deserves a spot and who doesn't (aside from those guaranteed placements based on the conference titles). Before we get there, we have a lot of good football to get through, and this one between Ohio State and Penn State certainly fits the bill.

The Buckeyes are looking to avoid their second loss of the season. They've put together a nice campaign, and despite the loss, they are still ranked fourth in the nation. Perhaps that's because their loss came on the road, against the currently top ranked team, Oregon. In that game, Ohio State nearly escaped with a victory, but simply couldn't pull it out. They lost that game 32-31. This was the definition of a game that featured back-and-forth battles. Ohio State scored first, then Oregon, and so forth with only Oregon putting two unanswered scoring drives in a row together. Certainly disappointing for the Buckeyes to lose the game, but they performed well and quarterback Will Howard looked great with 28 out of 35 passes completed, 326 yards, and two touchdowns. They had a bye week after and played Nebraska last week. Perhaps they were preparing a bit too much for this game? They didn't lose, but they also didn't exactly have a dominating performance either, needing a late score to take the lead. I expect that Ohio State will be doing everything they can to keep Howard in control of this game. He's put together a nice year, and the team looks much more versatile when he is in control as opposed to just handing the ball off.

Penn State Nittany Lions QB Drew Allar drops back to pass against the UCLA Bruins at Beaver Stadium. (Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images)

Penn State comes into this contest with the 3rd rank next to their name and a perfect 7-0 record. They are looking to finally overcome the obstacle that is Ohio State. The Buckeyes have gotten the best of the Nittany Lions in each of the past three matchups. Penn State has only faced one ranked opponent - Illinois at home and they beat them with ease. They struggled to get a victory over USC two games ago, but did escape with a nice road win. Penn State has one of the best defenses in the country, but the same can be said about their opponent. For the season, they are slightly ahead of Ohio State with turnovers forced, and allow about two more points per game. One offense, the team is lead by Drew Allar, a quarterback that has amassed 1,640 yards, 12 touchdowns, and four interceptions. Their running game presents a nice change of pace, but this team isn't one that looks to rush to the line and try to get plays off. Penn State wants to figure out what is happening and play at their own pace. That could benefit them when they are facing a tough defense like Ohio State. 

In this game you have two teams that are both really strong defensively. Ohio State and Penn State both allow fewer than 15 points per game to opponents. I was thinking the game between Ohio State and Oregon would be a defensive battle as well. I was certainly wrong about that, but Penn State isn't exactly the same explosive offense that Oregon is. I don't know that it makes sense to play Ohio State to cover the -3.5, but I do think they win. Instead, I'm taking a shot on the under 45.5 in this one as I expect a 24-20 type game instead of a high scoring shoot out. 

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