Ohio State’s Oct. 21 matchup against Penn State at Ohio Stadium will be the schools annual ‘Scarlet the Shoe’ game.
This shouldn’t come as a surprise.
With the rivalry game against Michigan being in Ann Arbor this year, Penn State’s the most prominent home opponent on Ohio State’s schedule.
If both teams’ seasons go according to plan, this game will be one of the most anticipated ones of the college football season. Ohio State has ruled the Big Ten for much of the last decade, having won the conference six times since 2014 and made the College Football Playoff in five of the eight nine seasons it’s existed.
Ohio State’s rolled through the Big Ten on its way to becoming one of college football’s best programs this century, and Penn State’s been no exception.
Since James Franklin took over at Penn State in 2014, Ohio State has an 8-1 record.
But make no mistake, Penn State’s kept it close with Ohio State more often than not.
The last time the teams played in Columbus was a tight affair, which Ohio State ended up winning, 33-24. That was also a Scarlett the Shoe game.
The 2021 Penn State team finished 7-6. This 2023 team is expected to do better than that.
With many key contributors returning from a squad that went 11-2 and won the Rose Bowl last season, Penn State’s expected to contend for the Big Ten title along with Ohio State and Michigan. Both of those schools made it to the playoff last year, and Penn State’s still yet to make it there.
To make the College Football Playoff this season, Penn State will have to beat either Ohio State or Michigan. The first of those two tests will come in Columbus.
