Ohio State opened as a three-score favorite for next week’s game against Penn State.
FanDuel Sportsbook released an opening line of Ohio State -17.5 on Tuesday. The over/under was set at 47.5, setting the implied score at Ohio State 32.5, Penn State 15.
Entering the season, Ohio State was only a 3.5-point favorite to beat Penn State on multiple sportsbooks. Penn State, however, has performed well short of expectations this season, losing its last four games against Oregon, UCLA, Northwestern and Iowa. Head coach James Franklin was fired after the loss to Northwestern, and quarterback Drew Allar suffered a season-ending ankle injury in that game.
Ohio State, on the other hand, is 7-0 on the season and ranked as the No. 1 team in both the AP and Coaches polls, having allowed just 5.9 points per game this season.
Both the Buckeyes and Nittany Lions are off this week before their meeting at Ohio Stadium next Saturday, Nov. 1, at noon in a game that will be televised by FOX.
Ohio State has covered the spread in six of its seven games this season. The only exception was its third game of the season against the Ohio Bobcats, in which the Buckeyes fell just short of covering the 28.5-point spread, winning 37-9.
Ohio State has won its last eight straight meetings with Penn State. Each of the last nine games between the Buckeyes and Nittany Lions have been decided by 13 points or fewer; the last time either team beat the other by more than 17 points was in 2015, when Ohio State beat Penn State 38-10.
