The Buckeyes are back after a bye week that felt much longer than a week.
Is it just me, or does it seem like much longer than two weeks ago that Ohio State last played a football game?
Either way, the Buckeyes are back, as they are ready to take on a Penn State squad that has been arguably the biggest surprise this season. While the Nittany Lions have been a major disappointment and have had plenty of storylines of their own over the last few weeks, the biggest storyline ahead of this matchup in Columbus remains the same: Jim Knowles' return to Ohio State, this time on the visitors' sideline.
The Buckeyes are ready to go for yet another Big Noon Kickoff.
WAKE UP. THE OHIO STATE BUCKEYES PLAY FOOTBALL TODAY pic.twitter.com/t08R9Qdj8u
— Ohio State Football (@OhioStateFB) November 1, 2025
Opportunity awaits pic.twitter.com/5Wlubaf6qz
— Ohio State Football (@OhioStateFB) November 1, 2025
As Ohio State prepares to take on Penn State, the Eleven Warriors staff is confident the Buckeyes will take care of business against the Nittany Lions and remain undefeated.
Score Predictions
Andy Anders - Ohio State 38, Penn State 3: One-dimensional offenses have no chance of sustained success against this year’s Ohio State defense. The Buckeyes zero in on smothering Penn State’s running game, and a field goal is all that’s managed against OSU as the offense gets a decent number of bites at the apple.
Chase Brown - Ohio State 34, Penn State 6: I love that Ethan Grunkemeyer is a local kid who has the chance to play in the Horseshoe. Unfortunately for him, he has to face Matt Patricia. That said, I can't see many opportunities for Penn State to score points in this one, so I'll take the Buckeyes in a blowout.
George Eisner - Ohio State 38, Penn State 7: At face value, this is a tricky projection with both teams coming off bye weeks and the Nittany Lions seeking to salvage a lost season in the wake of James Franklin's dismissal. However, the Buckeyes have covered in all but one of their games this year (falling short by half a point in the lone outlier), and Penn State has only beaten the spread once due to a blocked field goal returned for a touchdown against Iowa. Ryan Day acknowledged the sour grapes between himself and Jim Knowles this week, so I would expect a performance fueled by pettiness in the latter's return to Columbus.
Jack Emerson - Ohio State 31, Penn State 14: Jim Knowles’ return to Columbus will not go well for the quote-unquote Mad Scientist as Julian Sayin will continue his march toward the Heisman Trophy with another stellar performance against Penn State.
Matt Gutridge - Ohio State 31, Penn State 17: Ohio State has won 22 consecutive games following a regular-season bye and is a 20.5-point favorite against Penn State. This is the largest margin for the Buckeyes to ever be favored in this series. PSU has talent – they were ranked No. 2 for a reason – but will they have enough heart to keep it close?
Dan Hope - Ohio State 41, Penn State 10: Penn State will have a few tricks up its sleeve early in the game, but Ohio State starts to pull away in the second quarter and turns the game into a blowout in the second half. The Buckeyes will keep their foot on the gas pedal for four quarters as they look to make a statement against former defensive coordinator Jim Knowles.
Kyle Jones - Ohio State 28, Penn State 7: Yet another boringly dominant affair from Ryan Day and co. The Buckeyes methodically take apart what’s left of the Nittany Lions in one of the more physical games you’ll see this season.
Chris Lauderback - Ohio State 35, Penn State 7: Julian Sayin throws for 300+ yards and three more touchdown passes in a comfortable win.
Ramzy Nasrallah - Ohio State 38, Penn State 12: Feels like a score one would expect to find on the corner of Welcome Back, Coach Knowles & Continue to Leave Some Meat on the Bone
Josh Poloha - Ohio State 34, Penn State 13: The Buckeyes cover (again) because good teams win, great teams cover. I expect OSU's offense to want to make a statement against Jim Knowles but the Nittany Lions will slow the game down too much, and Penn State will show some crazy wrinkles to their defense that will keep Ohio State in check for a little while. That said, give me a Silver Bullets touchdown Saturday afternoon.
Jason Priestas - Ohio State 30, Penn State 10: What a thrill for Ethan Grunkemeyer, coming home to play in the Shoe. I think he’s going to show well, but Ohio State is just too much for a veteran team that’s just trying to get to the draft injury-free at this point.
Jordan Raines - Ohio State 34, Penn State 7: The Buckeyes send a message against a Nittany Lions team in the midst of an identity crisis.
Will Ohio State Cover?
Ohio State was favored by 17.5 points almost two weeks ago, a number that grew to 20.5 last weekend. After it went back and forth in the high teens and low 20s, it seems as though the number has settled at 18.5 in favor of the Buckeyes on Saturday morning, as the Buckeyes are nearly three-touchdown favorites over Penn State.
With that, only two members of the Eleven Warriors staff – Matt Gutridge and Jack Emerson – believe Ohio State won't cover the spread, while everyone believes OSU will beat the Nittany Lions.
What About the Over/Under?
The total has fallen three points over the last two weeks, as it was at 47.5 points last week and the over/under has now dropped to 44.5 points as of Saturday morning.
The 11W staff is split on how many points will be scored in The Shoe Saturday afternoon, as six members believe Ohio State and Penn State will combine to hit the over, while six believe the game will hit the under.
Eleven Warriors Prop Bets
Wondering how sportsbooks envision various player performances shaking out in this Big Ten matchup? Take a look at some of our in-house prop betting lines ahead of tonight's game for some insight into how the betting public expects individuals to stuff the stat sheet. Leave your predictions for us in the comments!
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How many touchdowns will Julian Sayin throw for?
- Over 2.5 (-110)
- Under 2.5 (-110)
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Who will have more receiving yards?
- Jeremiah Smith (-120)
- Carnell Tate (+110)
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Will Ohio State's defense score a touchdown?
- Yes (+500)
- No (-400)
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How many points will Penn State score?
- Over 10.5 (+100)
- Under 10.5 (-120)
