ESPN College GameDay heading to Ohio State for Week 8 matchup vs. Penn State

After attending one top-10 matchup this week, ESPN College GameDay is heading to another important ranked matchup. The crew will head to Columbus for Ohio State vs. Penn State, according to Chris Fowler and Kirk Herbstreit during Saturday’s Oregon vs. Washington broadcast.

The announcement came in the third quarter of the rivalry game between the Ducks and Huskies. College GameDay also shared the news on Twitter.

Both the Buckeyes and Nittany Lions are in contention atop the Big Ten this season. Entering Week 7, Ohio State came in at No. 3 in the AP Top 25 and Penn State wasn’t far behind at No. 6. The game will not only have major implications in the Big Ten, but also have an impact on the College Football Playoff with the first rankings set to come out at the end of the month.

Ohio State vs. Penn State will also be FOX’s Big Noon Kickoff game, meaning the game will kick off at noon ET on FOX.

The Buckeyes took a 5-0 record into Saturday’s game against Purdue and looked like a team ready to make a run at the conference title. They were without their top running backs due to injury and lost Chip Trayanum during the game, as well, but still flew past the Boilermakers 41-7 for the sixth win of the season to clinch bowl eligibility.

Kyle McCord had a solid day as the starting quarterback, completing 16 of 28 passes for 276 yards and three touchdowns to lead the effort. Marvin Harrison Jr. also had a huge showing with 105 yards and a touchdown as his stock continues to rise.

As for Penn State, the Nittany Lions took a break from conference play with a home matchup against UMass. It was all Nittany Lions through the first three quarters as they took a commanding 49-0 lead into the fourth quarter, when they added another touchdown to make it a 56-0 game.

Drew Allar put together another good day. He completed 16 of 23 passes for 162 yards and three touchdowns while also adding a rushing touchdown.

Penn State has made it clear its goal is to make it to the Big Ten Championship this year, and the road to Indianapolis runs through Columbus. Ohio State already played one big ranked game this year against Notre Dame — winning that one at the last second — and will try to add to their CFP case when the Nittany Lions come to The Horseshoe with both College GameDay and Big Noon Kickoff in attendance.