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Ohio State travels for the first time this season as they take on Penn State in a premiere Big Ten matchup in Happy Valley on 9/29/18.
This nationally televised primetime game between two top 10 ranked teams is easily the marquee matchup of the week in College football. And we’ve got it covered for you.
First Road Game Of The Season
The Ohio state Buckeyes have rampaged against their opposition so far this season. They have outscored their opponents by an aggregate score of 218-68 while racking up an unbeaten 4-0 record. Their closest margin of victory was 12 points against TCU in week 3 but Ohio State followed that up with a 49-6 beating of Tulane last week. The Buckeyes though will have tougher test this week as they will be playing their first road game of the season against a ranked Penn State team.
Second year quarterback Dwayne Haskins has been spectacular for Ohio State as he has completed 75.7% of his passes while throwing for 1,194 yards with 16 touchdowns and only one interception. Meanwhile, running backs J.K. Dobbins and Mike Weber lead the Buckeyes’ double barreled running attack with a combined 622 rushing yards and five touchdowns on the season.
Ohio State vs Penn State 9/29/18
Odds: Ohio State -160, Penn State +140
Odds from sportsbetting.ag as of 9/28/18
Putting Up The Points
The Penn State Nittany Lions have been putting up the points on the board. Just like the Buckeyes, Nittany Lions have ran over the opposition with a high octane offense. Penn State has outscored their opponents by a total score of 222-78 through Week 4. Only Appalachian State has been able to keep pace with Penn State as App State forced overtime before eventually losing, 38-45.
Although Penn State lost its best playmaker in Saquon Barkley to the NFL, they have found someone who could take over Barkley’s spot. Pennsylvania native Miles Sanders has ran for a total of 495 yards and scored 5 touchdowns this season. Sanders ranks 6th in the nation in total rushing yards. Senior quarterback Trace McSorley has thrown for 763 yards with 8 touchdowns and two interceptions while rushing for 235 yards and scoring 6 rushing touchdowns.
Who Wins?
Three of the last four games between these teams were decided by seven points or less with the winner in the last two games coming from behind to pull off the victory with late touchdowns. Last season, Ohio State rallied from 15 points down to beat Penn State 39-38 in Columbus.
As good as the Buckeyes this season, the Nittany Lions have been equally impressive. Penn State outscored their last three opponents by an aggregate score of 177-40 and considering two of those games were on the road, that’s very good. Ohio State is great on both ends of the field and they will be getting Urban Meyer back in this game. These teams have fought too many close battles lately and I don’t see this one ending differently. I think the Nittany Lions can go toe to toe with the Buckeyes in this contest.
As for a winner, this is going to be a coin flip really. But for the sake of choosing one, I’m going with the team with the better defense and that’s Ohio State. So for the outright winner, I’ll pick Ohio State but I won’t be betting on that. For this game, I’d like to go to the other bets and check on the spread and the totals.
Other Bets To Make
The Ohio State Buckeyes are 5-1 ATS in their last 6 games as favorites. However, they are only 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games after a straight up win by more than 20 points and 1-4 in their last 5 games after scoring more than 40 points in their previous game. The Buckeyes are 3-6 ATS when playing on the road against the Nittany Lions . Penn State is 20-5-1 ATS in their last 26 games.
Ohio State vs Penn State 9/29/18
Spread Odds: Ohio State -3 (-110), Penn State +3 (-110)
Odds from sportsbetting.ag as of 9/28/18
We’re getting three additional points for Penn State who will be playing in front of a raucous crowd behind them. The Nittany Lions have also covered four out of their last five games where they were and underdog of at least 3 points. The home team is 4-1 ATS in the last five meetings between these teams.
Prediction Penn State +3
The over is 25-10 in Nittany Lions last 35 games overall, 6-1 in the Buckeyes last 7 road games and four out of Ohio State’s last six games on the road against Penn State. On the other hand, the total has gone over in Penn State’s last 5 games and five out of their last six games at home.
Ohio State vs Penn State 9/29/18
Over/Under Odds: Over 71 -105, Under 71 -115
Odds from sportsbetting.ag as of 9/18/18
Penn State’s defense has been shaky at times and Ohio State has the #2 ranked offense in the nation, averaging 54.5 points per game. While the Buckeyes have the 23rd best defense in college football, they have 28 points to TCU in Week 3 while showing some vulnerability. And yes, before I forget, if the Buckeyes are #2 in the NCAA in offense, the Nittany Lions are well, the top scoring team in the nation at 55.5 points per game. Anytime you have #1 vs #2, you’ve got to expect a high scoring affair.
Prediction: Over 71
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