Total Play For Penn State Vs. Ohio State

Penn State vs. Ohio State, 12:00 ET

We know that Saturday means College Football, but as it starts to creep into the rest of the week with a few games each night, I feel like we might be loosing some of the excitement. With that said, there is no question that this Saturday does have games that I'm looking forward to. Perhaps there is no more exciting game this week in College Football than the matchup between #7 Penn State and #3 Ohio State.

Penn State comes into the game with a 6-0 record and looking to cement themselves as one of the best teams in the country, but also finally get over this Ohio State hump. The fact that they are 6-0 is not much of a surprise, most predicted that the Nittany Lions would end up somewhere in the 11-1 range with the loss coming in this game. However, I don't feel like anyone on this team feels like they will lose this game. The matchup seems closer than ever. Some of my reasoning is because of Penn State's depth and defense, but the other part is because Ohio State's quarterback is not someone I'm all that impressed by. On the season, Penn State's defense has been very tough. They've only allowed 193.7 yards per game on average. When looking at it though, I have some questions about just how impressive their defense really is. They've faced West Virginia, Delaware, Illinois, Iowa, Northwestern, and Massachusetts. Of those teams, I'd say only Iowa and maybe West Virginia are respectable offenses. Still, the defense has allowed just 48 points, so it doesn't have many mistakes in any game.

STATE COLLEGE, PA - SEPTEMBER 23: Drew Allar #15 of the Penn State Nittany Lions gives a thumbs-up signal to teammates during the first half of the game against the Iowa Hawkeyes at Beaver Stadium on September 23, 2023 in State College, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images)

Ohio State has a big edge by being at home in this one. That's a benefit to the Buckeyes and should help in any late-game situation. I do think the offense could really test or potentially expose Penn State. No other team in the country has the outside weapons that the Buckeyes have so this will be a big test for the Nittany Lions. The other reason that I like Ohio State is because they've been tested more than Penn State, sure, it isn't much more, but their road win over the Fighting Irish stands out. I have some concerns about how much the defensive front may be pushed by a strong Penn State offensive line. I'm expecting Penn State to play fairly conservatively and try to keep the Ohio State offense off the field. But, I do think Drew Allar is a talented enough quarterback that could cause Ohio State some trouble as well. I don't really care much for Kyle McCord, but he's put up decent enough numbers and managed to keep Ohio State from making too many mistakes as well. In this matchup, I think he is going to do more than just game manage.

This game should be a slower, defensive battle. I would love to tell you that Ohio State is going to win without question, but I think it could be close. In that regard, taking Penn State with the points probably makes the most sense. However, that isn't my play. Instead, I'm playing the under in this one. I expect Penn State to slowly, methodically move the ball down the field, and I do think Penn State will look worse than any other game, but still should be good. Back the under.

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