Penn State Ohio State betting odds, spread, preview

The Penn State Nittany Lions and the Ohio State Buckeyes are a perfect 6-0 heading into this Saturday’s annual rivalry game between the two, and the oddsmakers are expecting a tight contest.

The Buckeyes have had the upper hand recently in the series having won the past six meetings, but the Nittany Lions tend to keep things close having covered the spread in five of those six, which includes all three road contests during that span.

The Nittany Lions will be on the road this time around, and the oddsmakers at Caesars Sportsbook have them as four-point underdogs against the Buckeyes in what’s the closest spread between the two since 2018.

The Buckeyes have been on a roll since escaping with a road win against Notre Dame, as they’ve won by 20 points or more in their last two games to begin Big Ten play 2-0.

The Nittany Lions are 3-0 in conference play, but their most impressive stat is that they’ve covered the spread in all six of their games so far as double-digit favorites.

The stats back up the fact that the Buckeyes and Nittany Lions are the cream of the crop in the Big Ten, as they rank first and second in total offense and first and third in total defense.

The recent trends say that Ohio State should win outright in a close contest that Penn State should cover, but the Nittany Lions are off to their best start since 2019 as they look to show that they’re a true contender.

The winner of this contest still has to face Michigan, who is also undefeated, and a playoff spot is all but guaranteed to whoever ends up with the best resume of the three.

Kickoff between the Buckeyes and Nittany Lions is set for Saturday, Oct. 21 at 11 a.m. on FOX.

PENN STATE-OHIO STATE BETTING LINE

Spread: Penn State (+4) at Ohio State

Money line: Penn State +158, Ohio State -190

Total: O/U 47 points

Odds by Caesars Sportsbook as of Tuesday, Oct. 17, official odds partner of Bet.NOLA.com