Ohio State Buckeyes (8-0) -3.5, o/u 40.5 vs. Penn State Nittany Lions (6-2), 8:00 p.m. Eastern, Saturday, October 27, 2007 on ABC.
by College Football Handicapper Extraordinaire Jerald of Predictem.com
The Ohio State Buckeyes will meet the Penn State Nittany Lions in this Big 10 Conference showdown on Saturday night. Ohio State will try to stay undefeated and hang on to the #1 ranking and a National Title bid.
Ohio State is led by Junior QB Todd Boeckman Ryan who has completed 65.4% of his passes for 1,539 yards, 18 touchdowns and 7 interceptions. The Buckeyes rushing attack is led by Chris Wells who has rushed for 863 yards (5.8 yards per carry) and 7 touchdowns.
Penn State is led by Senior QB Anthony Morelli who has completed 59.5% of his passes for 1,739 yards, 13 touchdowns and 7 interceptions. The ground game is led by Rodney Kinlaw who has rushed for 728 yards (5.2 yards per carry) and 6 touchdowns.
Ohio State ranks 37th in total offense with an average of 201.2 yards rushing (4.67 yards per rush) and 215.6 yards passing per game. They rank 34th in scoring offense averaging 34.2 points per game. The Nittany Lions offense ranks 49th in total offense averaging 186.4 yards rushing (4.36 yards per carry) and 219.6 yards passing. Penn State ranks 37th in scoring offense averaging 33.1 points per game.
The Buckeyes defense ranks 1st in total defense giving up an average of 65.9 yards rushing (2.18 yards per carry) and 146.1 yards passing per game. They rank 1st in scoring defense giving up an average of 7.9 points per game. Penn State ranks 7th in total defense giving up 80.0 yards rushing (2.30 yards per carry) and 199.8 yards passing. They rank 5th in scoring defense giving up 15.0 points per game.
The Sagarin PREDICTOR ratings at USAToday.com rank the Buckeyes 7th at 91.66. Penn State ranks 24th at 80.57.
Ohio State opened up as a 3 point favorite with a total of 40.5. The line has risen at Ohio State -3.5 and the total has stayed at 40.5. At the time of this writing, the public was backing the Buckeyes, 59%-41%.
The Predictem Pick: We look for the Buckeyes to continue with the winning ways as they should shutdown the Penn State offense on the way to their 9th win. Lay the points.
Ohio State 24 Penn State 14
