Penn State fans have been known to cry foul when it comes to the refs when their team plays Ohio State. Many believe that the officials are out to get their team and to make sure the Buckeyes win.

This year, PSU fans are already melting down because they believe John O'Neil's crew will be in charge of Saturday's game. Benwin shared some of the Nittany Lions' fans displeasure (read it here).

So, do they have a legitimate beef? Time to break it down Remy style with my friend Penn State Paul.

1963-2016

Before we dig in, Penn State Paul has a question, "Hey man, why don't you include the 1912 and 1956 games?" Great question, the reason is because Ohio State only has the penalty records dating back to the 1963 game. Over those 53 years, the schools played 30 times and accumulated a combined 271 penalties for 2,216 yards.

Penn State Paul, "Yeah, and I bet the majority were called against the Blue and White." Nope. Ohio State was flagged 148 times for 1,244 yards and Penn State 123 times for 972 yards.

You read that correctly, the refs have flagged the Buckeyes 25 more times for 272 more yards. On average, Ohio State gets called for 55% of the game's flags and Penn State only 45%. 

"Yeah, but I bet Penn State gets flagged more when the Buckeyes win!" Penn State Paul says with a little contempt in his voice. Fair enough, let's look into that. 

Ohio State won 18 of the 30 games played between 1963 and 2016. In those victories, the Buckeyes amassed 102 penalties for 849 yards. Penn State? Only 72 infractions for 558 yards. That equates to 30 more flags and 291 more penalty yards for the Scarlet and Gray.

Kind of hard to blame the refs for those 18 losses when Ohio State had more penalties and lost yards called against them. One could even argue that the referees had a bias against the Buckeyes in those contests. Of the 174 flags thrown, over 58% were against the OSU gridders. Ohio State also lost 60% of the 1,407 yards.

Penn State Paul wasn't too happy with the numbers above, but he isn't finished, "All right, Ohio State was called for more penalties, but what about games played in the Big Ten? I'm sure the numbers will be different. After all, we all know the Big Ten loves Ohio State and wants them to win." 

1993-2016 (The Big Ten Years)

Penn State Paul might be on to something. Ohio State has won 16 of the 24 Big Ten games played between the two schools since PSU joined in 1993. That's a win ratio of 2:1. Penn State Paul is getting annoyed, "The refs had to have flagged the Nittany Lions more during that time span to explain why Ohio State has been so dominant. Right?"

Let's check the numbers. 

The Buckeyes have been called for 127 penalties for 1,060 yards since 1993. Penn State? Flagged 104 times for 786 yards, that's a difference of 23 infractions and 274 yards. Looks like the refs are actually trying to help the Nittany Lions and not the Buckeyes.

Penn State Paul isn't giving up, "Okay, fine. Ohio State has been penalized more since 1963 and in the Big Ten, but Penn State had to have been flagged more in their Big Ten losses to Ohio State. Look that up, Mr. Numbers guy!"

The numbers are in, and like the other scenarios, Ohio State was also penalized more in their Big Ten wins over Penn State. In the 16 victories, the Buckeyes were flagged 89 times for 750 yards. PSU was penalized 65 times for 485 yards. A difference of 24 penalties and 265 yards. 

By percentages, Ohio State has collected 57.7% of the flags and 60.7% of the penalty yards in the school's 16 conference wins over Penn State. 

Penn State Paul drops his shoulders and sheepishly asks "Is there any scenario when Penn State is penalized more than Ohio State?" Amazingly, there is.

Penn State gets more penalties than Ohio State when the Nittany Lions win. In those 12 games, PSU had 51 flags for 414 yards and the Bucks had 46 for 395.

The same holds true for Penn State in the eight conference games they've won against Ohio State. The Nittany Lions have 39 penalties for 301 yards and the Buckeyes have 38 penalties for 310 yards. Penn State has one more penalty, but Ohio State lost nine more yards.

What does this all mean? Penn State fans should actually want their team to get called for more penalties than Ohio State on Saturday. If they do, they might leave Columbus with the win. Then again, Penn State is 2-10 when playing in Ohio Stadium as member of the Big Ten.

Before leaving, Penn State Paul has a few more questions.

What are the most penalties each team had in a single game?
The most for both teams is 10.
Ohio State had 10 in the 1976 win.
Penn State had 10 in 1999 and lost.

Most penalty yards in a game?
In 2009, Ohio State had 86 and won.
Penn State had 85 yards twice. They won in 2012 and lost in 1999.

Least penalties in a game?
The Buckeyes had one penalty in 1994, 1964 and 1963. The Buckeyes won in 1994, but lost in '63 and '64.
Penn State wasn't called for a single penalty in their 2008 win at Ohio State.

Least penalty yards in a game?
Ohio State had five in 1994 and 1963.
Penn State had 0 in 2008.

How many times has each team been flagged seven or more times?
Ohio State- Six (2014, 2012, 2010, 2009, 2004, 1976)
The Buckeyes won all of those games.

Penn State- Four (2016, 2015, 2012, 1999)
The Nittany Lions won in 2016 and 1999. 

Who has been penalized more in the 12 Big Ten games played in Ohio Stadium?
Ohio State has 65 penalties for 506 yards, Penn State only 46 for 329.

Do you have a question about penalties in this series? If so, post it in the comments and I'll try to answer it.

Go here to see the supplemental table with all of the penalties.