Kickoff: Saturday, 8:00 p.m. ET
Line: Ohio State -14, Total: 51

No. 13 Ohio State looks to stay undefeated in the Big Ten when it travels to Penn State on Saturday night.

The Buckeyes have not faced real tough competition yet this season, as they have been double-digit favorites in 5-of-6 games, including a tough 35-21 loss as 10-point favorites against Virginia Tech in the second contest of the year. Overall, they are 5-1 ATS and easily covered as 20.5-point favorites last week against Rutgers, dominating in a 56-17 victory where they totaled 585 total yards of offense while forcing three turnovers. Penn State opened the year with four consecutive SU victories (3-1 ATS), but has fallen off in the past two games with losses to both Northwestern by a score of 29-6 as 10-point favorites, and an 18-13 defeat in Michigan most recently as 2.5-point underdogs. The Nittany Lions had a meager 214 yards of total offense in that most recent game on Oct. 11 as they ran for a putrid 35 yards (1.5 YPC). Ohio State has dominated this Big Ten rivalry over the past two seasons, winning by an average of 30.5 PPG, which includes a 63-14 victory at home in 2013 after gaining an amazing 408 yards from the rushing attack. Trends show that Ohio State is 64-40 ATS (62%) in road games since 1992 while Penn State is 20-8 ATS (71%) in home games after having lost two of its past three games in the same timeframe. The Buckeyes have seemingly moved on from losing QB Braxton Miller (shoulder) for the season while the Nittany Lions have no significant injuries in their program.

Can Ohio State cover the moderate spread in a tough road environment? For the answer, connect to College Football Best Bets for all the StatFox Experts picks throughout the 2014 regular season and bowl season. StatFox Gary is heating up with an 83% ATS mark (5-1) in Best Bets over the past two weeks.

The Buckeyes offense has been one of the best in the nation while scoring 46.5 PPG (4th in FBS) behind 274 YPG through the air (34th in nation) and 260 YPG on the ground (16th in FBS). QB J.T. Barrett (1,615 pass yards, 20 TD, 5 INT) has thrown 11 TD and 0 INT over his past three games while going over 260 yards in each of the past four contests. He gives opposing defense headaches with his ability to contribute to the run game, as he has 383 rushing yards on 78 attempts (4.9 YPC) while getting into the end zone four times. HB Ezekiel Elliot (531 rush yards, 4 TD) joins Barrett in the backfield and has gone over 135 yards in two of the past three games while getting 4+ receptions in three of his past four contests. WR Michael Thomas (377 rec yards, 5 TD) leads the team in receptions (21) while WR Devin Smith (355 rec yards, 5 TD) has provided a big downfield threat while averaging 29.6 yards per catch. Their defense is led by LB Joshua Perry (45 tackles, 3 TFL) and DL Joey Bosa (20 tackles, 5.5 sacks) as they are allowing 20.2 PPG (24th in nation) and 319 YPG to their opponents on the year.

Penn State’s offense has done well in the passing game (282 YPG, 32nd in FBS) while failing to get anything going on the ground (93 YPG, 121st in nation) as it has scored a woeful 21.2 PPG (111th in FBS). QB Christian Hackenberg (1,637 pass yards, 5 TD, 7 INT) has really struggled this season, as he has failed to throw a touchdown in three of his six games while having at least one interception in all but one contest. After throwing for over 300 yards in each of the first three games in 2014, he has averaged a mere 185 passing YPG in his past three contests. HB Bill Belton (258 rush yards, 3 TD) has not gone over 80 yards on the ground in any of his games, but has contributed nicely through the air with 155 yards on 18 catches (8.6 avg) while scoring a touchdown. WR DaeSean Hamilton (560 rec yards, 1 TD) has hit the century mark three times this year as he leads the team with 43 receptions while WR Geno Lewis (512 rec yards, 1 TD) has been the clear No. 2 option. While the Penn State offense has been sad, the defense has excelled while allowing 15.2 PPG (6th in nation) and 283 total YPG behind the play and leadership of LB Mike Hull (64 tackles, 2 sacks).