by Rod Pearson
Tuesday, Oct 17, 2023
Game Time: 12:00 pm ET, Saturday, October 21, 2023
Venue: Ohio Stadium, Columbus, OH
Where to Watch: FOX
Opening Odds at USA Sportsbooks
DraftKings: Point Spread: PSU +4, OSU -4; Over/Under: 46.5 points
Bet365: Point Spread: PSU +4, OSU -4; Over/Under: 47 points
BetMGM: Point Spread: PSU +4.5, OSU -4.5; Over/Under: 46.5 points
Season Record
Penn State Nittany Lions: 6-0 (3-0) (2nd place, Big Ten East)
Ohio State Buckeyes: 6-0 (3-0) (3rd place, Big Ten East)
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Recent Form
Penn State Nittany Lions: won their last game at home against the UMass Minutemen 63-0.
Ohio State Buckeyes: won their last game on the road against the Purdue Boilermakers 41-7.
Penn State Nittany Lions vs Ohio State Buckeyes Preview and Analysis
Penn State is entering this game with a 6-0 record overall and they have a 3-0 record in their conference games too. They are 4-0 in their home games, 2-0 in their road games, and they are also 0-0 in their neutral site games this season, but they will be on the road for this game. They won their last game against UMass 63-0. Drew Allar was the starting QB and he completed 16/23 passes for 162 passing yards, 3 touchdowns, and 0 interceptions. Nick Singleton led the team in rushing yards with 79. Theo Johnson led the receivers with 66 receiving yards on 4 receptions and 2 TDs. Curtis Jacobs led the defense in that game with 4 solo tackles and 1 assisted tackle while Adisa Isaac led the defense in sacks with 2.5. Keaton Ellis came away with the only interception for them in that game.
Ohio State is entering this game with a 6-0 record overall and they have a 3-0 record in their conference games too. They are 3-0 in their home games, 3-0 in their road games, and they are also 0-0 in their neutral site games this season, but they will be at home for this game. They won their last game against Purdue 41-7. Kyle McCord was the starting QB and he completed 16/28 passes for 276 passing yards, 3 touchdowns, and 0 interceptions. Dallan Hayden led the team in rushing yards with 76 and 1 TD. Marvin Harrison Jr. led the receivers with 105 receiving yards on 6 receptions and 1 TD. Cody Simon led the defense in that game with 5 solo tackles and 3 assisted tackles while Jack Sawyer and J.T. Tuimoloau each led the defense in sacks with 1.5. No one on the defense came away with an interception for them in that game.
Penn State vs Ohio State Prediction
The current betting odds have Penn State listed as a 4 point underdog in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. Penn State has been having a great start to the season with their 6-0 record overall but this is going to be their 1st true test on the road. Ohio State is also 6-0 this season and ranked 3rd in the country but this is definitely not the strongest Ohio State team they have had in the past few years. Both offenses have been putting up a ton of points lately but the Ohio State offense has been dealing with a lot of inconsistencies as they try to break in their new QB Kyle McCord. Penn State also has the better defense in this matchup so McCord is not only going to struggle a lot more in this game but he is also going to have trouble keeping a lead as the Penn State defense will keep them right in this game until the end if they don't win it outright. The best way to place a bet here is on Penn State to cover the spread in this game.
Penn State Ohio State Prediction: Our NCAAF Pick for Saturday, October 21, 2023 (12:00 pm ET start time) is Penn State 24 Ohio State 20.
Don't miss our champion handicappers free picks and expert football picks today. And if you enjoyed this Penn State Nittany Lions Ohio State Buckeyes prediction, be sure to drop by every day for our weekly NCAAF predictions and previews.
NCAAF Betting Trends
Penn State Nittany Lions: 20-30 ATS as a road underdog. 8-14 ATS after shutting out their last opponent. 16-27 ATS after allowing 6 points or less last game. 10-4 OVER off a home win. 8-4 OVER in road games. 17-6 OVER after 6 or more consecutive straight up wins.
Ohio State Buckeyes: 20-11 ATS in a home game where the total is between 45.5 and 49. 11-5 ATS after a win by 17 or more points. 12-3 OVER after a win by 28 or more points. 10-2 OVER after scoring 37 points or more in 2 straight games. 13-4 OVER after a game where they forced 1 or less turnovers.
Key Injuries
Penn State Nittany Lions: J. Mahlert (WR) Ques Sat - Undisclosed. M. Stahl (WR) Ques Sat - Undisclosed. D. Kency (RB) Out indefinitely - Undisclosed. M. Robinson (DE) Out indefinitely - Undisclosed. J. Green (S) Out indefinitely - Undisclosed. I. Harvie (OL) Out indefinitely - Undisclosed. K. Kiesewetter (QB) Out indefinitely - Undisclosed. T. Johnson (WR) Out indefinitely - Undisclosed. A. Ford Jr. (DT) out for season - Undisclosed.
Ohio State Buckeyes: C. Martinez (S) Ques Sat - Undisclosed. E. Egbuka (WR) Ques Sat - Leg. T. Henderson (RB) Ques Sat - Undisclosed. C. Trayanum (RB) Ques Sat - Undisclosed. J. Royer (TE) Ques Sat - Undisclosed. M. Williams (RB) Ques Sat - Undisclosed. T. Caffey (RB) Out indefinitely - Knee. A. Reese (LB) Out indefinitely - Undisclosed. J. Mitchell (WR) Out indefinitely - Undisclosed. K. Grayes (WR) Out indefinitely - Undisclosed. J. Bonsu (S) Out indefinitely - Undisclosed. N. Baudo (WR) Out indefinitely - Undisclosed. R. Stocksdale (WR) out for season - Knee. Z. Herbstreit (TE) out for season - Undisclosed. B. Christian (TE) out for season - Suspension.
Notable Quotes
“This is going to create issues for people that are evaluating us on film. Something that’s going to cause them kind of long nights in how they’re going to defend us. I’m not surprised. This is who he’s been.” - James Franklin after his team’s win against UMass in their last game.
“When you get down Tre and Miyan and then Chip, that’s not where you want to be. We got down in there and I thought Dallan started running pretty well. To run the way we did without three of our guys is a good sign.” - Ryan Day after his team’s win against Purdue in their last game.
Starting Lineups
Penn State Nittany Lions
WR Cephas, Dante
WR Lambert-Smith, KeAndre
WR Clifford, Liam
TE Johnson, Theo
QB Allar, Drew
RB Singleton, Nicholas
Ohio State Buckeyes
WR Harrison Jr., Marvin
WR Fleming, Julian
WR Egbuka, Emeka
TE Stover, Cade
QB McCord, Kyle
RB Trayanum, Chip
Statistical Leaders
Penn State Nittany Lions
Passing: D. Allar (1254)
Rushing: K. Allen (375)
Receiving: K. Lambert-Smith (402)
Touchdowns: N. Singleton (7)
Ohio State Buckeyes
Passing: K. McCord (1651)
Rushing: T. Henderson (295)
Receiving: M. Harrison Jr. (604)
Touchdowns: T. Henderson (5)
Coaches:
Penn State Nittany Lions: James Franklin (10th season)
Ohio State Buckeyes: Ryan Day (6th season)
Rod Pearson
About the Author:
Rod Pearson has been a rabid sports fan his entire life. He grew up in Ontario, and was skilled in both hockey and baseball, and pitched in an elite baseball league for many years. In 2022, Rod decided to hang up his glove, so that he could write about the sports he loves -- but from a gambling perspective. Join Rod every day as he breaks down the games to find the best betting value.
