The Penn State Nittany Lions (7-0) took care of business on the road on Saturday, escaping Madison with a 28-13 victory over Wisconsin. James Franklin and company are now rewarded from that effort with a matchup against rival Ohio State (6-1) in Beaver Stadium.
Recent memory has been favorable to Ohio State in the series, but as Franklin and the Nittany Lions look for their breakthrough campaign, the No. 4 ranked Buckeyes stand in the way. Happy Valley Insider takes a first look at Ryan Day's team ahead of the clash.
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Game/Broadcast Details:
Where: University Park, Pennsylvania
Stadium: Beaver Stadium (Official capacity of 106,572)
Time: 12:00 p.m. ET
Television: FOX - Gus Johnson (PxP), Joel Klatt (Color), Jenny Taft (Sidelines)
Odds: Penn State opened as a 3.5-point underdog, over/under is 47.5 points.
High stakes on the line...
Not often do ESPN's College Gameday and FOX's Big Noon Kickoff overlap, but when they do, it's a pretty clear indication a big game is on the horizon. That is the reality for State College on Saturday, which is set to host both of college football's premier kickoff shows when the Buckeyes come to town.
And for good reason.
Saturday's game presents a huge piece in the Big Ten title picture, as well as the College Football Playoff hopes for both squads. Penn State remains one of three undefeated teams in the Big Ten, along with Oregon and Indiana, while Ohio State is a game back in the loss column after the defeat in Eugene earlier this month.
The top-five matchup is just the third of the college football season, following Alabama vs. Georgia, Oregon vs. Ohio State, and Georgia vs. Texas, could axe Ohio State's chances at making the playoff or put a damper on what's shaping up to be Penn State's breakthrough campaign.
Buckeyes shaky coming into State College...
The Buckeyes got off to a blazing start to the season, which was to be expected with the talent level in Columbus, going 5-0 and winning by an average of nearly 40 points per game. Once mid-October struck, Ryan Day and company have looked shaky, however.
A trip to Eugene saw the Buckeyes suffered their first setback of the year, losing a thrilling 32-31 game at the hands of the now No. 1 ranked Oregon Ducks. It was expected to be a tightly contested battle, but one the Buckeyes were favored in. Despite that, the Ducks were able to defend their home turf and send Ohio State back to Columbus with its first loss of the year.
After a bye week, Ohio State nearly dropped a second-straight game, wit Nebraska pushing them to the brink. The Huskers took their first lead of the game with just under 11 minutes to play in the fourth quarter, before Will Howard led what turned out to be the game-winning drive with 6:04 to play. The Buckeyes came away with a late interception to stave off a Nebraska upset bid, but now have questions heading into another big time matchup in State College.
Series history:
The Buckeyes have been a thorn in the side of Penn State for a long time. The Nittany Lions trail the all-time series 8-23 and haven't found much success in recent memory, either. Ohio State has won seven straight over Penn State, which is the longest streak in the series' history. The last Nittany Lion victory came in 2016, when Grant Haley's heroic blocked field goal return gave James Franklin and company a marquee victory.
Ryan Day has been the Kryptonite of sorts for Penn State since he took over for Urban Meyer, going 6-0 against Franklin and company.
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