The Ohio State Buckeyes and the Purdue Boilermakers meet Saturday in college football action from Ross-Ade Stadium. Ohio State is coming off a matchup versus Maryland. In that one the Buckeyes stayed undefeated with a blowout win. As for Purdue, they played Iowa over the weekend. The Boilermakers would go on to lose by six points in a tough outcome. Check back all season long for free college football picks at Sports Chat Place.

Ohio State Buckeyes 

The Buckeyes rolled through their first three games this year without too many issues. Ohio State took out Indiana 23-3 in the opener, then beat Youngstown State 35-7 in game two. After that was a 63-10 blowout win over Western Kentucky. The Buckeyes posted a nice road win over a very good Notre Dame team 17-14 in game four to keep it going. 

Back on Saturday versus Maryland, Ohio State fell behind 7-0 early but rallied in the final three quarters for a 37-17 win. QB Kyle McCord finished with 320 yards and two scores. DeaMonte Trayanum added 61 yards with a score off 20 carries, and Marvin Harrison Jr. had eight catches for 163 yards and one TD. 

Ohio State Buckeyes Team Facts

Ohio State has won each of its last 34 games against non-AP-ranked teams.
Ohio State has covered the spread in eight of its last nine October games against non-AP-ranked teams.
Ohio State has won the first quarter in nine of its last 11 games against conference opponents.
Ohio State has won the first half in 30 of its last 38 games against conference opponents.
Each of Ohio State’s last six October road games against non-AP-ranked teams have gone OVER the total points line.

Purdue Boilermakers 

Over on the Boilermakers’ side, they took a tough loss to a good Fresno State team in their opener 39-35, but bounced back the next week versus Virginia Tech in a 24-17 win. Purdue would then lose the next pair of outings 35-20 versus Syracuse and 38-17 against Wisconsin before finally bagging another win 44-19 in the Illinois matchup. 

In the Iowa game, Purdue gave up points in each quarter on the way to a 20-14 loss. Quarterback Hudson Card finished with 247 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. Devin Mockobee added 20 carries for 89 yards and a TD, and TJ Sheffield led the receivers with his six catches for 93 yards and a score. 

Purdue Boilermakers Team Facts

Purdue has won three of its last four games as an underdog against top-5 AP-ranked teams.
Purdue has covered the spread in each of its last six October games against AP-ranked teams.
Purdue has lost the first half in four of its last five games against conference opponents.
Eight of Purdue’s last nine October games as a home underdog have gone OVER the total points line.

Matchup/League Facts

Purdue ranked T21st among FBS teams for Q4 points per game last season (9.1).
Purdue ranked T21st among FBS teams for Q4 win percentage last season (.571).
Ohio State ranked 1st among FBS teams for Q1 points per game last season (13.0).
Ohio State ranked 1st among FBS teams for Q3 points per game last season (11.5).

ANDREW’S FREE PICK 

I’ll probably stick with Ohio State. The Buckeyes are coming off a solid 37-17 win over Maryland, but they’ve got plenty to improve on this week. Ohio State posted 382 total yards (62 rushing) and 6.2 yards per play in the win, however they also committed 10 penalties for 81 yards and went a rough 3-of-12 on third-down conversions throughout the game. The Buckeyes need to rally for a complete effort in this one as a tuneup for their October 21 showdown with Penn State. 

As for Purdue, they did a solid job defensively against Iowa, with 291 yards (181 rushing), 13 first downs and 3-of-13 on third-down conversions allowed to the Hawkeyes. I like the Boilermakers to hang around for a while in this one, but if Ohio State plays like they’re capable of playing the Buckeyes should dominate.