The matchup may have lost some of the expected hype coming into the season, but the Ohio State vs. Penn State matchup is still a notable game in Week 10. The Buckeyes remain in the top spot of the college football ranks, while Penn State has completely fallen off the map after dropping to 3-4 and moving on from James Franklin.
Ohio State enters as a 18.5-point favorite and holds -1450 moneyline odds on DraftKings Sportsbook. Penn State is +850 with the game total set at 45.5.
You can check out the full breakdown of this matchup and plenty of others on DK Network. There are plenty of ways to get involved in the action beyond just backing a side or game total. This article looks at my top player props for the Penn State vs. Ohio State matchup.
Penn State vs. Ohio State Prop Bets
Jeremiah Smith to Record 100+ Receiving Yards (+120)
It has not been quite the Heisman Trophy campaign that Jeremiah Smith hoped for this season. However, the Ohio State star still is tied for the 10th-best odds (+4000) to win the prestigious award on DraftKings Sportsbook. Smith has pulled in a Big Ten-best 49 receptions for 602 yards and seven touchdowns this season. He has posted receiving yard totals of 43, 119, 153, 81, 67, 42 and 97.
While the numbers do not pop off the page, this has largely been due to the game script. The Buckeyes have won six straight games by 16 points or greater. Even while they have vastly underperformed expectations in a season amid disaster, Penn State will still offer one of the better defenses in college football. The Nittany Lions are holding opponents to 19.4 points per game, which ranks 29th among FBS teams. However, they also are conceding 303.7 total yards of offense and haven’t been the shutdown unit they should be.
This is chance for Ohio State to kick a rival while they are down. During last year’s matchup, Smith was limited to four receptions for 55 yards, and marked one of the four games he failed to reach the end zone. Smith and Carnell Tate are responsible for 1,189 of Ohio State’s 1,958 receiving yards this season and a large reason why Julian Sayin leads the country with an 80% completion percentage.
Ohio State has had nearly a flawless start to the season, but its level of competition has diluted the takeaways to an extent. This is far from the most respectable Penn State squad that has been seen, but still an uptick in talent compared to most of its past opponents. Expect the Buckeyes be ready to attack the Penn State secondary and allow Smith to make plays. He fell just three yards short of cracking 100 yards in the previous game and has had at least five receptions in every game.
Kaytron Allen to Record 50+ Rushing Yards (-116)
The injury to Drew Allar further cemented this, but the rushing attack has been the identity of this Penn State offense. Through its opening seven games, the team is averaging 169.6 rushing yards per game and 2.4 rushing scores compared to 185.4 passing yards and 1.3 passing scores per game.
This is led by the two-headed rushing attack of Kaytron Allen and Nicholas Singleton. As the season has progressed it has become increasingly clear that Allen is the top running back. The 22-year-old has rushed the ball 98 times for 612 yards and nine rushing touchdowns. He is coming off a season-high 28 carries, which he converted to 145 yards and two scores. Allen has also tallied 50+ yards in each of the past six games.
Ohio State has a strong case for the best defense in football. It is allowing just 5.9 points per game, the fewest in all of college football, and 216.9 total yards of offense. This includes 85.6 rushing yards per game. However, Wisconsin managed to rush for 95 yards as a tram in its previous matchup, and Texas also put up 166 rushing yards in the season opener.
Penn State quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer has struggled since stepping in at quarterback. He is coming off a matchup against Iowa in which he threw for just 93 yards and a pair of interceptions. Expect Penn State to attempt to keep the ball on the ground as much as it can and for Allen to see enough volume to produce a healthy rushing total.
