1.) Hoying 35-8 (4-8 upset)
2.) Schweinfurth 34-9 (2-10 upset)
2.) Seeberg 34-9 (1-11 upset)
4.) Draper 32-11 (2-10 upset)
Play time is over, Star Fox! For the Buckeyes, I mean; all the other teams can continue eating paste in the corner. Every other contender is playing a "meh" opponent or worse this week, as evidenced by the one, count 'em, ONE ranked matchup: PSU vs. OSU in Columbus. Yeah, symmetrically, Penn State is also playing a quality opponent this week, but they don't have to travel to Ann Arbor next week for another potential top ten matchup. No, they have to make sure they don't look ahead to their rivalry week matchup against...Rutgers. Enjoy Bush League Week in the SEC and hope for a couple of upsets across the landscape to keep you from falling asleep.
Penn State Nittany Lions @ THE Ohio State University Buckeyes
Draper: Honestly, this game doesn't scare me a great deal. Watching Penn State this year hasn't impressed me other than the first half vs. TTUN. Clifford is a nice QB and KJ Hamler is talented, but there's an incredible gap at the top in talent. Yes, the talent in State College is nearing the top of the remainder in the B1G, but OSU is on a different level. Thankfully for the Lions, Chase Young (who made the last play in the 2018 game) is out for this ga.....wait, what? he's back? Uh oh. This team is going to play with a fire that even goes above the remainder of this year's excellence. I'm expecting a little nerves at the beginning and Shaka Tonie will make a play or two, but the talent disparity will emerge by the end of the first half. The WR corps for OSU will make plays up and down the field and Dobbins will continue to eat. Look for Fields to move into number 2 in the Heisman race after this game, and Chase Young will return to national prominence as he breaks the OSU single season sack record with 2 more. He'll be double teamed on nearly every snap but you can't stop him...you can only hope to contain him. Bucks roll on to the Game. PSU: 17 -- OSU: 45
Hoying: The Nittany Lions under James Franklin have had Ohio State's number. Fortunately, they keep misdialing. Actually, the series under Franklin has been more like a tale of two cities: Columbus and State College. The Buckeyes have fallen asleep at the wheel for large chunks of every game in Happy Valley, but blew out the Kitties at home in 2015. As for 2017? That was a combination of a lot of turnovers, dumb special teams play (intentionally kicking off to their best player?), and penalties. I got the feeling all game long that as long as the Buckeyes had enough time the universe would right itself, and fortunately I was proven correct. I think some combination of the above would be the recipe for a Penn State upset this year, only in much larger quantities. Trace McSorley and Saquon Barkley are long gone, and their replacements aren't exactly lighting the Big Ten on fire. And the Buckeyes somehow just happen to be playing better ball then they ever did under Urban (except for maybe the end of 2014). The Minnesota game showed how Penn State's mistakes can be exploited and how their defense can be taken advantage of. I don't think their "Five Hundred!" offense is going to work against Jeff Okudah, but KJ Hamler is the real deal and the Bullets might lose a few battles to him on Saturday. Watch that matchup closely; it'll provide clues as to whether Shea Patterson and Nico Collins can have similar success next week in Ann Arbor. As for this game? Bucks win. Comfortably. PSU: 17--OSU: 42
Schweinfurth: I have this odd calm about this game, and it kind of worries me. One of the reasons I have this feeling is how much I have watched Penn State's O-Line struggle against big, athletic d-linemen. Sound familiar? Oh yea, that's the entire Silver Bullet front 4. Add in a pissed off Chase Young and an inexperienced QB in Sean Clifford and I fear for the poor guy's life. What also gives me some peace is the coaching. Nittany Kitty HC James Franklin is a great recruiter. He is an awful in-game coach (see 4th and 4 zone read). Ryan Day has shown the ability to make adjustments mid quarters, while the last coaching staff tended to wait until halftime (and sometimes it was to late). The kittens in the secondary are susceptible to the big play, especially with Field's ability to extend plays. I have learned the last three years that this game is never easy. Pix Six U seems to have be a thing of pre-2014. The Lions are due a beat down and the Bucks are the most complete game in the country. Dobbins was right, why does this have to be a four quarter game? Go Bucks, Beat the Lions! PSU: 13--OSU: 41
Seeberg: Well, at least the one intriguing game of the week falls in Columbus. However, it's a top 10 battle where the line opened at Bucks -19 and has held steady all week. Penn State has been a tale of three teams this season. The Lions looked rough early, barely outlasting a lousy Pitt squad, then improved drastically to throttle Maryland and Purdue. Since October, however, Franklin's boys have been stuck in 3rd gear, sneaking by a great second half from TTUN, barely outlasting Indiana and sleepwalking to an L in Minneapolis. That 9-1 record doesn't tell the whole story: They haven't won a game by more than 7 against a team with a winning record all season. News flash: 10-0 is a winning record, and with a rested/angry Chase Young back, it should be 11-0. Mediocre QBs have lit the Nittanys up through the air all season. Pitt's QB (Kenny Pickett- yeah I didn't have any idea who that was either) put up 372 passing yards and 0 picks, and it's not as if they fixed the issues, as the Gophers and Hoosiers combined for 700+ passing yards the last two weeks. I'm with J.K. on this one. Why does it have to be a four-quarter game? Fields is big, Dobbins churns it up in the 3rd quarter, and starters get well-deserved rest yet again. PSU: 13--OSU: 42
Upset Special
Draper: TCU over Oklahoma
Hoying: Indiana over Michigan
Schweinfurth:Texas over Baylor
Seeberg: Texas A&M over Georgia
