In what will be Penn State’s biggest game of the season and one that could determine which team will play in the Big Ten Championship later this year, Penn State’s entering this week as the underdog.
Conference rival and third-ranked Ohio State is favored by five points over No. 7 Penn State ahead of Saturday’s noon matchup in Columbus, according to college football insider Brett McMurphy of the Action Network.
Week 8
Ohio St -5 Penn St
OU -17 UCF
Iowa -5½ Minn
Bama -8 Tennessee
Mizzou -7 S Car
Oregon -20 Wazzu
Texas -23 at UH
UNC -23½ Virginia
Ole Miss -6½ at Auburn
Michigan -24 at MSU
LSU -25 Army
FSU -14½ Duke
USC -6 Utah
UCLA -16 at Stan
Wash -27½ ASU
Tulane -20 UNT
Liberty -13½…— Brett McMurphy (@Brett_McMurphy) October 15, 2023
Penn State’s coming off what was arguably it most dominant performance of the year, a 63-0 rout of Massachusetts.
Penn State dropped one spot in the AP and USA Today Top 25 rankings following the victory.
Ohio State, after defeating Purdue 41-7 Saturday, could be without its top three running backs due to a plethora of injuries.
Ohio State holds a 22-8 all-time record over Penn State, including winning nine of the last 10 matchups. Penn State’s last win was in 2016, claiming a 24-21 victory inside Beaver Stadium.
Penn State hasn’t beaten Ohio State in Columbus since 2011 under interim HC Tom Bradley.
