Ohio State Buckeyes at Penn State Nittany Lions Odds & Game Pick (2020)
In a game we will not likely hear the end of for decades should Penn State end up with just two losses on their 2020-21 schedule, the Nittany Lions lost by an inch last week in a matchup that featured a widely contested decision by the referees. What won’t be mentioned is their inability to stop an average at best quarterback, or make big stops on third down, but I digress.
For Ohio State, business was mostly handled after a slow start, as we saw a second-half explosion for 28 points to secure the cover.
Let’s take a closer look at how each team should respond in this one after decidedly different Big Ten Week 1 performances.
Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook.
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Details
- Opening Lines: Penn State +10.5; OU 61.5
- Current Line: Penn State +12
- O/U: 64
- Location: Beaver Stadium, University Park, PA
- Start Time: 7:30 pm ET
- Television: ABC
- Last Meeting: November 23, 2019 – Penn State 17, Ohio State 28
Overview
Things were certainly not supposed to be this way in Happy Valley this fall.
After losing a thriller of a game against Indiana in their opener, the Nittany Lions will now have to face #3 Ohio State without starting running back Noah Cain who suffered a season-ending injury in the loss. Cain was the replacement of the team’s original starter Journey Brown, who is out for the season with an undisclosed medical issue.
The going should get tougher.
When the Ohio State Buckeyes roll into town Saturday night, they’ll be without a starter of their own in Chris Olave who had six catches for 104 yards last week against Nebraska. Luckily Buckeye quarterback Justin Fields picked up right where he left off in 19-20, throwing for 276 yards and two touchdowns while finishing with a QBR of 97.7.
On the defensive side of the ball, Ohio State did let the Nebraska run game get going, as they amassed 164 yards on the day including 77 from quarterback Adrian Martinez.
- The Under is 4-1 in their last five meetings
- Ohio State is 4-0 ATS in their last four October games
Bottom Line
If the Nittany Lions want to have any chance of pulling off the outright upset on Saturday, quarterback Sean Clifford needs to get it going not just through the air, but on the ground. Unfortunately for the Nittany Lions, with both top running backs now out and a line that had to work overtime last week, I see them as too one dimensional for an Ohio State defense that will surely be motivated to regain some respect.
In what I see as a three-score game, I’m taking the Buckeyes to cover this spread.
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TJ Perun is a featured writer at BettingPros. For more from TJ, check out his archive and follow him @JohnnyCovers.