In a battle of two teams ineligible to win their conference championship the 8-0 Ohio State Buckeyes hit Happy Valley to play the 5-2 Penn State Nittany Lions Saturday evening (5:30 pm ET, ESPN).

OSU, which just rallied to beat Purdue but may have lost QB Braxton Miller to a head injury, was an early 2.5-point underdog vs. the Lions, who are 3-0 in conference play after thumping Iowa.



View Ohio State vs Penn State Odds and Stats.



Power Rankings / Prediction: The Nittany Lions - Buckeyes odds would favor the Nittany Lions if the lines were set according to power ranks. Penn State is rated No. 7 in our latest OddsShark poll, while the Buckeyes sit at No. 80. Math models based on recent stats and predictive formulas point to a 42-40 win for the Buckeyes.



How They Match Up:
Offensively, the game matches up Penn State's No. 63-ranked offense (28.6 PPG) against a Buckeyes defense that ranks No. 51 at 24.2 PPG. The Nittany Lions passing attack has averaged 257.1 yards per game, less than the Buckeyes give up through the air (271.8 YPG on average).

Defensively, the Buckeyes feature the league's No. 8-rated road run defense, allowing 81.5 yards per game. Penn State, meanwhile, ranks No. 99 in rushing offense at home.

In their last action, Ohio State was a 29-22 Sportsbook at home against Purdue. They failed to cover the 17-point spread as favorites, while the combined score (51) was profitable news for UNDER bettors. In their last game, the Buckeyes were Week 8 Sportsbooks, coming out on top of the Boilermakers by a score of 29-22.

Last time out for Penn State, they were a 38-14 Sportsbook as they battled Iowa on the road. Penn State covered in the match as a 1.5-point underdog, while 52 combined points moved the game OVER for totals bettors. Bill Belton tore up the turf for 103 rushing yards in the latest Nittany Lions game, a 38-14 win over the Hawkeyes at Kinnick Stadium.


Ohio State Buckeyes Trends:
When playing in October are 7-3
When playing on grass are 5-5
After being outgained are 5-5
When playing within the conference are 7-3

Penn State Nittany Lions Trends:
When playing in October are 9-1
When playing on grass are 6-4
After outgaining opponent are 9-1
When playing within the conference are 8-2

A few Buckeyes at Nittany Lions trends to consider:
Ohio State is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Ohio State's last 8 games when playing Penn State
Ohio State is 7-3 SU in its last 10 games when playing Penn State
Ohio State is 15-6-1 ATS in its last 22 games on the road
Penn State is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Penn State's last 6 games at home
Penn State is 7-2 SU in its last 9 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Penn State's last 8 games when playing Ohio State


Next up:
Ohio State home to Illinois, Saturday, November 3
Penn State at Purdue, Saturday, November 3