Ohio State Buckeyes (5-0) -7, o/u No line vs. Purdue Boilermakers (5-0) 8:00 p.m. Eastern, Saturday, October 6, 2007 on ABC.
The Ohio State Buckeyes will meet the Purdue Boilermakers in this battle of Big 10 unbeaten teams. Ohio State expected to be in the position but Purdue has been a surprise in the early season starting off with 5 straight wins.
The last time these teams met was in 2004 when Purdue defeated Ohio State 24-17. They have played 1 common opponent this year. Ohio State defeated Minnesota 30-7 while Purdue beat them by a score of 45-31.
Ohio State is led by Junior QB Todd Boeckman who has completed 64.9% of his passes this season for 962 yards, 12 touchdowns and 3 interceptions. The ground attack is led by Chris Wells who has rushed for 540 yards (5.6 yards per carry) and 5 touchdowns.
Purdue is led by Senior QB Curtis Painter who has completed 67.0% of his passes for 1,542 yards, 18 touchdowns and 3 interceptions. The rushing attack is led by Kory Sheets who has 515 yards (5.8 yards per carry) and 5 touchdowns. Boilermakers prefer to move the ball on the ground with their tandem of backs who have combined for 650 yards and 8 touchdowns.
Ohio State ranks 37th in total offense with an average of 212.4 yards rushing (4.89 yards per rush) and 213.8 yards passing per game. They rank 26th in scoring offense averaging 35.8 points per game. The Boilermakers offense ranks 9th in total offense averaging 200.0 yards rushing (5.46 yards per carry) and 309.8 yards passing. Purdue ranks 8th in scoring offense averaging 45.4 points per game.
The Buckeyes defense ranks 2nd in total defense giving up an average of 61 yards rushing (2.05 yards per carry) and 142.6 yards passing per game. They rank 3rd in scoring defense giving up an average of 7.2 points per game. Purdue ranks 69th in total defense giving up 128.2 yards rushing (3.98 yards per carry) and 257.2 yards passing. They rank 39th in scoring defense giving up 20.4 points per game.
The Sagarin PREDICTOR ratings at USAToday.com rank the Buckeyes 3rd at 91.53. Purdue ranks 23rd at 81.17.
Ohio State opened up as a 6 point favorite with a total of 54. The line has risen to Ohio State -7 and the total has dropped to 53.5 at most sportsbooks. At the time of this writing, the public was backing the Ohio State 70%-30%.
The Jer’s Pick:
We look for the Ohio State defense to significantly slow down the Purdue offense who will be seeing a tough defense for the first time this year. We expect Ohio State to jump to an early lead and cruise to a victory. We suggest a wager on the Buckeyes minus the points.
Ohio State 34 Purdue 17
