The Penn State Nittany Lions and the Ohio State Buckeyes meet in week 8 college football action from Ohio Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

Penn State Routs UMass

The Penn State Nittany Lions come into this game on the heels of a 63-0 beatdown win over UMass last time out. Drew Allar has thrown for 1,254 yards and 12 touchdowns on 65.2% passing while Kaytron Allen leads the Nittany Lions with 375 rushing yards and 3 TDs while Nicholas Singleton has 362 rushing yards with 6 TDs as well and Beau Pribula has 225 rushing yards with 3 touchdowns this season. KeAndre Lambert-Smith has a team-high 31 receptions for 402 yards and 3 touchdowns this season while five more Penn State receivers have 100+ receiving yards as well on the year. On defense, Curtis Jacobs has a team-high 23 total tackles while Adisa Isaac has a team-high 5 sacks. As a unit, Penn State’s defense has combined for 27 sacks and 7 interceptions this season.

Penn State Nittany Lions Team Facts

• Penn State has won each of its last 11 games.
• Penn State has covered the spread in each of its last 13 games.
• Penn State has won the first quarter in five of its last six games against conference opponents.
• Penn State has won the first half in eight of its last nine games against conference opponents.
• Each of Penn State’s last four games in October have gone OVER the total points line.

Buckeyes Beat Up Purdue

The Ohio State Buckeyes come into this game off of their 41-7 beatdown win over Purdue on the road last time out. Kyle McCord has thrown for 1,651 yards, 11 touchdowns and an interception on 64.1% passing while TreVeyon Henderson has 295 rushing yards with 5 TDs and Chip Trayanum has 235 rushing yards with 3 TDs this season. Marvin Harrison Jr. has a team-high 31 grabs for 604 yards and 5 touchdowns while Cade Stover and Emeka Egbuka each have 300+ receiving yards with 3 TDs apiece and two more Buckeyes have 100+ receiving yards as well on the year. On defense, Tommy Eichenberg has a team-high 46 total tackles while JT Tuimoloau has a team-high 3 sacks. As a unit, Ohio State’s defense has combined for 10 sacks and 5 interceptions this season.

Ohio State Buckeyes Team Facts

• Ohio State has won each of its last 23 home games in October.
• Ohio State has failed to cover the spread in each of its last six games as a favorite against top-15 AP-ranked teams.
• Ohio State has won the first half in 17 of its last 18 games against conference opponents at Ohio Stadium.
• Ohio State has won the first quarter in 21 of its last 24 games against conference opponents at Ohio Stadium.
• Five of Ohio State’s last six games as a favorite have gone UNDER the total points line.

Matchup/League Facts

• Ohio State rank 3rd among FBS teams for points allowed per game this season (10.2).
• Ohio State rank T29th among FBS teams for points per game this season (35.0).
• Penn State rank 2nd among FBS teams for points allowed per game this season (9.6).
• Penn State rank 11th among FBS teams for points per game this season (40.6).

Chris’ Pick

I’m looking at Penn State and the points in this one, as the Nittany Lions have a tendency to keep this matchup within the number, covering 6 of the last 7 meetings and I think you can make a strong case that this is the best Penn State team we’ve seen in some time. The Buckeyes are solid and this is going to be a heavyweight tilt, but I could see this coming down to the final seconds and getting points with two key numbers of 3 and 4 right now is an enticing proposition. Give me the Nittany Lions and the points.