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The No. 4 Ohio State Buckeyes rounded out a perfect non-conference schedule last week with a 49-6 beatdown in Columbus of Tulane. Now, the Buckeyes head to Happy Valley for their first true road test of the season as they face No. 9 Penn State in primetime.
This game will be the toughest test of the season for both sides, though Ohio State has already faced a ranked opponent in its 40-28 win over TCU. The neutral-site matchup against the Horned Frogs should prove to be a good primer for the Buckeyes, since TCU boasts a slightly-better defense than Penn State through four weeks of football and also stars a dual-threat quarterback on the other side of the ball.
This year’s matchup marks the 33rd time that Ohio State and Penn State have faced off, with Ohio State holding an 18-14 advantage. If past precedent is any indication, today’s game should be one of the most thrilling outings of the season. Last year, as we all remember, J.T. Barrett led the Buckeyes back from a fourth quarter deficit for a narrow, one point win, 39-38.
In 2016, the last time Ohio State traveled to Beaver Stadium, James Franklin earned his first and only win over Urban Meyer’s squad with an almost-as-narrow 24-21 victory.
After opening the season at No. 10 in the AP Poll, Penn State has put together a 4-0 run to start the season. Things didn’t start off smoothly, though, as the Nittany Lions needed overtime to overcome Appalachian State. Since then, however, Penn State has crushed its competition by a wide margin, including demolishing Illinois last week 63-24.
It may be early in the conference season, but the winner of today’s matchup has an early leg up in its quest for supremacy in the Big Ten East.
When is the game and how can I watch?
Game Date/Time: Saturday, Sept. 29, 7:30 p.m.
Location: University Park, Pa
TV: ABC
Online: WatchESPN
Radio: 97.1 FM/1460 AM
Where is GameDay this weekend?
Where else could they possibly go? The crew is headed to Happy Valley to watch Ohio State take on Penn State. It’ll be the ninth time the show has aired for a matchup between the two schools— tied for the most of any pairing.
It is also the sixth time that the show has been set at Penn State. Lee Corso has picked the Buckeyes 27 times in his headgear selections, most recently against TCU. He is 19-8 when picking Ohio State
What’s the rest of the Big Ten up to today?
It’s a light day for conference play, with just nine teams in action. First up, No. 21 Michigan State plays Central Michigan at noon on FS1. Also at noon, Indiana travels to Rutgers on BTN. Purdue heads to Nebraska at 3:30 p.m. on BTN. In a late afternoon matchup, No. 14 Michigan faces Northwestern in Evanston at 4:30 p.m. on FOX. All times are Eastern.
Join the conversation
Below is your Ohio State-Penn State GameThread. Be respectful, be kind and as always, keep it classy. If you like GIFs, lay ‘em on us. In all, be good fans, cheer for your teams, be cool to each other (even if somebody else isn’t) and everyone wins. Let’s keep the season going strong. Go Bucks.