Ohio State vs Penn State NCAAF Picks and Predictions: Oct 30

Ohio State vs Penn State Betting Preview

WagerTalk college football handicapper Kevin Dolan offers his Ohio State vs Penn State Big Ten Football betting preview for Saturday, October 30 from Ohio Stadium in Columbus. At the time of posting, the Buckeyes are an 18-point home favorite over the Nittany Lions with the total sitting at 60 points.

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Ohio State vs Penn State Predictions

Ohio State Buckeyes -18 vs Penn State Nittany Lions
Total: 60 Points
Penn State has covered the spread in four of the last five meetings in this series.

Penn State takes on Ohio State this Saturday down in Columbus, Ohio and early money has already shown up for the Buckeyes in this spot, moving from an opening line of -17, to -18.5 at time of writing. And that’s no surprise given how this Buckeyes team are playing right now. Ohio State have been on an absolute electric run over the last month, putting up an average scoring margin of 46.8 points per game, with the next closest team Cincinnati clocking in at around 30 points per game to illustrate just how far ahead this Buckeyes team are right now offensively from the chasing pack.

Ohio State is averaging over twice the average scoring margin they managed just last season and also own the nation’s highest scoring offense at 49.3 points per game, most offensive touchdowns per game at 5.9, total yards per game at 559.3 yards per game and total yards per play at 8.3 on average.

Penn State meanwhile came off a flat spot last week against Illinois, both coming off a close come from behind loss to Iowa in the week prior and looking ahead to this huge clash against Ohio State taking place this weekend. Because of that, Penn State should be much more focused this weekend than the 227 total yards and 14 first downs version we saw last week against Illinois. The Nittany Lions always raise their game against the Buckeyes with three of their last five head to head’s against them all coming down to a field goal or less.

Penn State also brings a stellar defense into Saturday night’s matchup, owning the Big Ten’s best opponent red zone scoring percentage this season at just 65.2%, and have also held opponents scoreless 8 times this season inside the red zone, tied for the nation’s best.

However, they will have to contend with an Ohio State team this Saturday that ranks as the best red zone offense in the Big Ten this year, along with being one of the best in the entire country also. The Buckeyes have converted an eye watering 28 of 29 conversion attempts inside the red zone this year, and the Lions have shown vulnerabilities on defense in the recent past, with Wisconsin putting up over 42 minutes of possession against them in Week 1 with almost 30 first downs as well, despite losing outright. That game was decided on turnovers and red zone defense by the Lions but it’s hard to imagine them getting the same opportunity here against this juggernaut Buckeyes offense.

Ohio State is tied for third in the nation over their last three games on turnover margin per game at +1.7 and as previously highlighted, simply won’t be denied in the red zone either this season with a 96.6% conversion rate.

Penn State potentially offer the value side here from a purely numbers perspective but there’s no way personally I could stand in front of this hi-powered Buckeyes offense here chasing a playoff spot as they sit 5th respectively in both the AP Poll and Coaches Poll heading into Week 9. It should be a great game in Columbus on Saturday between these two old rivals but I’m going to side with Ohio State in this one to continue their impressive run.

🏈The wind has been taken out of the sails a little bit, but nonetheless, the Nittany Lions have given Ohio State a battle over the last five years. @BLeonardSports @TheSportsWolf83 and @DrewMartinBets offer their #OSUvsPSU preview.#WeAre | #GoBucks https://t.co/Ly1ASUiPxa

— WagerTalk (@WagerTalk) October 26, 2021

Ohio State vs Penn State Analysis from The GoldSheet

Penn State turned in another poor performance last week vs. the Fighting Illini, being held to just 227 yards of total offense while the Nittany Lions allowed their second-most rushing yards in a game this century. The return of QB Sean Clifford didn’t help, as he was limited to just 19-of-34 passing, marking the third-straight outing Clifford has been held below 180 passing yards in a game. Illinois ran 67 times for 357 yards, and some of the same might be coming against Ohio State this week. The Buckeyes are tops in the nation in yardage (560 yards per game) and scoring (49 points per game) and are clearly attempting to get back into playoff position. Penn State has been a terrible play coming off a straight-up loss under James Franklin.

Ohio State vs Penn State Video Preview

Since losing to Oregon in mid-September, no one has been able to slow down Ohio State’s offense. Penn State has made life difficult for the Buckeyes in recent years, covering the spread in four of the last five seasons. WagerTalk college football handicappers Drew Martin, Kevin Dolan and Bryan Leonard offer their Ohio State vs Penn State predictions.

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