Ohio State football aims for No. 1 spot with win over Penn State
Ohio State football is looking to prove to the College Football Playoff committee that they deserve the No. 1 spot by winning big against Penn State.
The Ohio State Buckeyes come into Week 13 just behind the LSU Tigers for the top spot in the most recent College Football Playoff rankings. Naturally, these rankings are quite controversial. LSU has indeed beat Alabama, which typically is enough to earn the right for the No. 1 spot.
On the other hand, the Buckeyes are 10-0 in an arguably tougher conference this season and have an average margin of victory of over 40 points. Yes, you read that correctly. Ohio State is beating its opponents by an average of 42.7 points.
That’s six touchdowns! The Buckeyes average 51.2 points per game on offense.
Coach James Franklin’s squad is having themselves a nice season as well and had only one hiccup. Penn State comes into the game at No. 8 in the country with a record of 9-1. Their lone loss came on an away game against Minnesota, 31-26.
This week’s matchup is set to be the best game all Saturday.
Here’s how to watch:
Date: Saturday, Nov. 23
Time: 12:00 p.m. ET
Location: Columbus, OH
Venue: Ohio Stadium
TV: Fox
Live Stream: FOX Sports Go
Keys to Victory
Fortunately for the Ohio State Buckeyes, their star defensive end, Chase Young, will be returning from his two-game suspension following a discovery of an NCAA rules violation. Young, who will likely be the first pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, is an overwhelming force for any offensive line. With him coming off a two-week rest, the Buckeyes need to put him in a position where he can make plays and force mistakes by Penn State’s quarterback, Sean Clifford.
Conversely, this return of Young makes things much more difficult for the Nittany Lions. Frankly, they should work to establish a run game early on and utilize Journey Brown often. Brown is coming off back-to-back 100 yard rushing games. However, Penn State should avoid Young’s side of the line as much as possible.
Furthermore, the Nittany Lions’ defense will need to contain Justin Fields from getting outside the pocket and running wild. Fields is one of the best dual-threat quarterbacks in the country and will make the defense pay if he finds the open field.
Betting Lines
Odd courtesy of The Action Network.
Point Spread: Ohio State -18
Over/Under: 58
Next. Ranking college football's top 50 fanbases. dark
Prediction
The Ohio State Buckeyes will be successful in their mission of dominating against Penn State and earning a convincing victory. Justin Fields and J.K. Dobbins will score with ease against early in the game and the Buckeyes will get out to an early lead. As the game progresses, the Ohio State offense will slow down, but the defense will keep the pressure. Penn State will score a couple of times late in the second half in order to prevent the final score being too out of hand, causing them to dropping significantly in the rankings.
Final Score: Ohio State 38, Penn State 21