Scarlet Sunrise: Buckeyes, Penn State set for top-five matchup

UNIVERSITY PARK, Penn. — Ohio State played its worst game of the season last week, grinding out a four-quarter game by coming from behind and beating Nebraska. Now the Buckeyes must play one of the best teams on their schedule — and do so on the road.

It’s an early-November game day in State College, Pennsylvania. Lettermen Row has every detail in a game-day edition of the Scarlet Sunrise.

Ohio State at Penn State: Game time, details

Ohio State and Penn State have squared off 38 times before with No. 39 on the way. The Buckeyes hold a 24-14 series lead over the Nittany Lions with their last win back in 2016 — a 24-21 win in State College. Ohio State is coming off a clunky 21-17 win over Nebraska.

Penn State (7-0, 4-0 Big Ten) is coming off a 28-13 win at Wisconsin.

• Time: 12 p.m. EST
• Kickoff: 12 p.m. EST
• Weather: High of 57º, 5% chance of rain showers, 4 mph winds
• The line: The Buckeyes are a 3.5-point favorite per Fanduel Sportsbook
• Over/under: 46.5 points

Lettermen Row staff picks

Spencer Holbrook: Ohio State 27, Penn State 23

Andy Backstrom: Penn State 26, Ohio State 24

Tim May: Ohio State 31, Penn State 24

Alex Gleitman: Penn State 27, Ohio State 24

Mick Walker: Ohio State 21, Penn State 13

Bold predictions for Buckeyes against Nittany Lions

The Lettermen Row staff has some confidence in the Buckeyes for their road trip to Penn State. As always, the crew went deeper than their score picks to make Bold Predictions about what will happen inside Beaver Stadium on Saturday.

READ: Bold Predictions as Buckeyes, Penn State meet with massive B1G implications

Series Fun Fact

Ohio State and Penn State have played against each other every single year since 2000. The Buckeyes hold a commanding 18-5 lead since that time frame. Ten of those wins have come at Ohio Stadium, however. So how do the Buckeyes perform on the road?

In that time, the Scarlet and Gray hold an 8-3 record over Penn State in Happy Valley. The Buckeyes’ average win margin is 10.5 points, but their average loss margin is only four points. The discrepancies in those numbers are amusing, but there are some outliers in those wins.

Five of those eight wins have been double-digit victories — most recently a 13-point win in 2022. Head coach Ryan Day is 5-0 against Penn State with two of those wins on the road — 2020 and 2022. The Buckeyes’ average margin of victory against the Nittany Lions under Day is 10.8. Interestingly enough, that victory margin shrinks at home to 9.3. The wins in 2020 and 2022 were both by 13.

Around the Big Ten…

Minnesota at No. 24 Illinois (Noon, FS1)
Northwestern at Iowa (3:30 p.m., Big Ten Network)
Northwestern at Purdue (Noon, Big Ten Network)
No. 1 Oregon at Michigan (3:30 p.m., CBS)
No. 13 Indiana at Michigan State (3:30 p.m., Peacock)
UCLA at Nebraska (3:30 p.m., Big Ten Network)
Wisconsin at Iowa (7:30 p.m., NBC)
USC at Washington (7:30 p.m., Big Ten Network)

Stick with Lettermen Row for wall-to-wall game-day coverage

Lettermen Row will be on site for comprehensive coverage of the latest Buckeyes matchup, as they open November with a top-five road matchup. Follow along on Twitter, Instagram and YouTube for experienced coverage.

Counting down

Ohio State at Penn State: Today
Ohio State vs. Indiana: 21 days
Buckeyes vs. Michigan: 28 days

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