Who you got? LGHL staff predicts the score of Ohio State-Penn State

It is finally here! The No. 4 Ohio State Buckeyes (4-0, 1-0) will travel to State College, Pa., for their first true road game of the season. The Buckeyes will face a hungry No. 9 Penn State Nittany Lions (4-0, 1-0) squad still smarting from the epic comeback that J.T. Barrett pulled off last season in the Horseshoe.

The Buckeyes will again be without Nick Bosa, but will have Robert Landers and Mike Weber available for the contest. The Buckeyes (2nd) and Lions (1st) are the two top scoring offenses in the country thus far, so we will see if that trend continues tonight.

Either way, the two teams will face off at 7:30 p.m. ET this evening, with the game being broadcast on ABC.

Over the course of this season, we here at Land-Grant Holy Land are competing to see who the best prognosticator is on staff.

How this is working is that every week our writers and editors will predict what think the final score of the Ohio State game will be. If a forecaster foresees the game’s correct winner, he or she will receive 75 points. If the expert gets the score exactly right, they will receive a bonus 25 points. However, for every point that a prediction is off, one point will be subtracted—with a max total of 25 points getting subtracted. Get it? Got it? Good.

With every new week of predictions, we will update the standings, so that you can follow along and see who the best handicapper on the LGHL staff is. Current standings are below this week’s predictions.

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Matt Brown

Ohio State 38, Penn State 32
Season Point Total: 235

What happens when you take the two best offenses in the Big Ten and have them play each other? idk probably points

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Alexis Chassen

Ohio State 63, Penn State 42
Season Point Total: 206

This is going to be a shooting contest between Dwayne Haskins and Trace McSorley and I predict a lot of points in this matchup. Ultimately, I think Ohio State still gets the best of Penn State— even in a “white out”— and stays undefeated.

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Colton Denning

Ohio State 42, Penn State 30
Season Point Total: 250

Binjimen Victor catches a 60 yard touchdown with six minutes left to ice the game.

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Geoff Hammersley

Ohio State 38, Penn State 42
Season Point Total: 243

This will be the Big Ten game of the year. A White Out at Penn State is no joke, but the Buckeye offense is no joke, either. Both defenses, however, have shown their vulnerabilities. Haskins and McSorley are gonna move their offenses down the field, and whoever gets the ball last will win the game.

(Also of note: I’m picking Penn State because this game gives me that best chance at being No. 1 in the LGHL season predictions. No hard feelings)

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Dan Hassler

Ohio State 38, Penn State 33
Season Point Total: 218

In Haskins’ first true away-game start, he will be up against one of the best teams in the country, in one of the greatest atmospheres in the country. He will also be feeling the pressure of competing against Penn State’s own Heisman hopeful QB, Trace McSorley. Despite all of that, I think Haskins goes out there and slings the ball around like he has every other week. Leading the Buckeyes to victory.

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Meredith Hein

Ohio State 21, Penn State 18
Season Point Total: 240

It’ll be the toughest test of the season for both sides, but Ohio State has the advantage of just having played— and scored 40 points against— TCU, which looks to have a marginally better defense than Penn State. Without Nick Bosa, the defensive front-seven for Ohio State will need to rely on young talent at the ends, and linebackers will be tested with the scrambling ability in particular of Trace McSorley.

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Caleb Houser

Ohio State 38, Penn State 24
Season Point Total: 237

I think the defense starts off slow but holds PSU to 24. Haskins throws for 3 TDs and the backs rush for another two with a FG late for insurance.

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Max Littman

Ohio State 38, Penn State 28
Season Point Total: 230

Penn State has struggled in the first half of almost every game that they’ve played and if they want any chance of pulling the upset that can’t happen. J.K. Dobbins will have a huge game and Penn State’s points will come on gashing big plays, but not much else.

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Brett Ludwiczak

Ohio State 38, Penn State 31
Season Point Total: 238

I could see this playing out a lot like the TCU, where Ohio State is challenged for the majority of the game, but ends up winning by at least a touchdown. The Nittany Lions’ defense showed some holes to open up the season against Appalachian State, and after three impressive performances by the Nittany Lions, I could see some of those issues popping back up again. In the end, Ohio State has a little too much firepower for the Nittany Lions to handle.

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Patrick Mayhorn

Ohio State 45, Penn State 42
Season Point Total: 219

The game is back and forth for four quarters, with Ohio State having no issue moving the ball on Penn State’s young defense, while Penn State gashes Ohio State with the RPO. Penn State leads 42-35 going into the fourth quarter, but Ohio State’s defense steps up and shuts them down late, and Dwayne Haskins leads a drive that ends in a game winning field goal at the last second.

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Chad Peltier

Ohio State 38, Penn State 35
Season Point Total: 227

My concerns are:

1. Whether Penn State can confuse Haskins’ reads and/or blitz more effectively than TCU.
2. Whether Miles Sanders’ efficient gains become increasingly explosive as the game goes on.
3. Whether McSorley can hit a few random big plays.
4. Whether McSorley can exploit the middle of the field.

I think Ohio State wins a close one, but I wouldn’t be surprised by almost any result. I don’t think any lead by either team will be safe.

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Matt Tamanini

Ohio State 35, Penn State 32
Season Point Total: 238

In my opinion, Ohio State is a far more talented team than Penn State, at nearly every position. However, this series always seems to inspire whacky games. Heck, just look at the last two; the crazy special teams fiasco in 2016, and the amazing comeback in 2017. If there was almost any other name on their jerseys, I would go 42-28, but there’s not any names on their jerseys, because Penn State is still stuck in the 1920s.

I think the sheer magnitude of this game will result in it being closer than it should be. I also feel like James Franklin will be the first coach this season to gear a defensive game plan around stopping Dwayne Haskins, meaning that the OSU offense will need to rely on Mike Weber and J.K. Dobbins more than normal, thus keeping the score down, because it takes longer to score on the ground than through the air.

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Dan Vest

Ohio State 34, Penn State 31
Season Point Total: 233

There are going to be a ton of huge plays in this game. Ohio State wins it on one from the defense.

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Ok, after four weeks, let’s take a look as to how are staff’s picks are looking.

So, to recap our oddly overly complicated scoring system:

Correct Winner Prediction: 75 points
Perfect Prediction Bonus: 25 points
Point Total Deductions: Subtract 1 point for every point off total score (cap 25 points)