Justin Fields and Ohio State put the rest of the country on notice with their 52-17 beatdown of Nebraska in their Big Ten opener. But you want to know the crazy part? They could play even better.
The Buckeyes will try to correct those “mistakes” when they travel to Beaver Stadium to take on the Penn State Nittany Lions, who are coming off being upset by Indiana on a two-point conversion in overtime.
Here are our best college football free picks and predictions for Ohio State at Penn State. Kickoff is set for 7:30 ET on Saturday, October 31 in Happy Valley.
Ohio State Buckeyes at Penn State Nittany Lions betting preview
Weather
It will be a chilly night in University Park, with temperatures hovering around the freezing mark. Be sure to monitor the gametime conditions with our NCAA football weather info.
Key Injuries
Ohio State: No injuries to update.
Penn State: Jesse Luketa LB (Questionable), Noah Cain RB (Out), Journey Brown RB (Out).
Find our latest NCAA football injury reports.
Betting trend to know
Justin Fields has been a fantastic bet in Big Ten play, leading Ohio State to an 8-3 record ATS in 11 conference games. Find more NCAA football betting trends for Ohio State vs. Penn State.
Against the spread (ATS) pick
While the Big Ten is behind the eight ball when it comes to the college football season, it took all of one game for Ohio State to cement itself as a College Football Playoff contender and Justin Fields as a Heisman candidate.
Fields missed one pass on the way to going 20-21 for 276 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions in Ohio State’s dominant victory over Nebraska. The junior QB was also the Buckeyes' leading rusher with 54 yards and another score. But the Buckeyes weren’t flawless.
Ohio State will need more out of its running game, but Master Teague III and Trey Sermon can be a potent one-two punch, while the Buckeyes’ front seven will have to play better after allowing Nebraska to tally up more than 200 yards on the ground.
Luckily, for the Buckeyes, Penn State QB Sean Clifford appears to be on an island all by himself. Clifford went 24-35 for 238 yards with three TDs and two picks and led the team in rushing with 119 yards and a score. But it still wasn’t enough, as the Nittany Lions came up short against the Hoosiers.
On top of that, Penn State’s running back room is depleted as Noah Cain is now out for the season after already losing Journey Brown. Clifford will likely get his, but if the Buckeyes’ defensive front can pressure him into a few bad decisions, then it will be hard for the Nittany Lions to win this game.
Penn State does have talent on the defensive side of the ball, but it’s unlikely they contain Fields all game long. Ohio State’s overall talent will be too much in the end and should be able pull away late thanks to their Heisman-hopeful QB. Lay the points with the favorite.
PREDICTION: Ohio State -11.5 (-110)
Over/Under pick
This total hit the board at 61.5 and has popped up two points to 63.5, and with those few extra points, now might be the time to jump on the Under.
After a bit of a slow start against Nebraska, Ohio start eventually got rolling, on the way to putting up 52 points. But even that output wasn’t enough to send the Buckeye’s first game Over the total, as they held the Cornhuskers to 17 points game snuck Under the number of 69.5.
Likewise, if the Buckeyes can force Clifford and the Penn State offense to become one dimensional, this total will have trouble getting there as well. The Nittany Lions put up 28 points in their opener, and while Clifford is a better passer than Adrian Martinez, Ohio State has a much more talented defense than Indiana.
Mix in a Penn State defense that should put up much more of a fight than Nebraska ever could, and this is another game that should slip below the number.
PREDICTION: Under 63.5 (-110)
First Score Prop Pick
Back to singing more praise for Fields. It took just one game of football for it to look like he should be the clear-cut No. 2 pick in next year’s NFL Draft. The junior QB pops off the screen when watching him play. His throws look effortless and his accuracy is impeccable (this sounds a bit like a wrestling promo). He has great pocket awareness, can roll out with ease and throw on the run. That’s going to be pretty hard to stop no matter how good your defense is.
Fields has also gotten his team off to good starts since coming to Ohio State. The Buckeyes put up 14 first-quarter points against Nebraska and last season they averaged 10.4 first-quarter points per game away from home. That was third-best in the country. Take Ohio State to open the scoring in this one with a major.
PREDICTION: First Score - Ohio State TD (-110)
Ohio State vs Penn State betting card
- Ohio State -11.5 (-110)
- Under 63.5 (-110)
- First Score - Ohio State TD (-110)
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