Ohio State Buckeyes' Keys to the Game vs. Penn State Nittany Lions

Despite both teams needing a win for their respective CFP resumes, lots of things will need to go right for either school to walk away victorious from their high-powered Week 8 faceoff.

If the Ohio State Buckeyes come out of their Week 8 matchup against the Penn State Nittany Lions with a win, they can cross another difficult conference opponent off their list. 

Winning the game would strengthen coach Ryan Day's squad's resume and help out the Buckeyes in the Big Ten rankings — and later the CFP rankings — but they'll need to win first. To do that, multiple things will have to go right on both sides of the ball, and Penn State will be looking to prevent that from happening. 

Both teams do have a legitimate shot at coming away victorious, with the winner able to add a statement win to their playoff hopes, so ahead of the annual Ohio State-Penn State matchup, here are the big keys to the game for each team.

Ohio State Buckeyes running back TreVeyon Henderson runs the ball during the Buckeyes' 44-31 win over Penn State on Oct. 29, 2022 :: Adam Cairns/ USA TODAY NETWORK

Ohio State will win if ... 

The Buckeyes will need to come out of the gate hot and not look back. Kyle McCord hasn't been the most prolific Buckeyes quarterback in recent history, but he has a receiver room that tells a different story. 

Utilizing Emeka Egbuka and Marvin Harrison Jr. will have a big pull on the game's outcome, and if the Buckeyes manage to throw up a few quick scores on offense, they will be setting up their defense for success throughout the remainder of the game. 

Penn State will win if ... 

The name of the game for the Nittany Lions is defense. As mentioned above, the Buckeyes will roll out with a well-oiled offense complete with weapons across the lineup, however, they stack it. 

Obviously, Ohio State will try to strike first and gain some early momentum, but if Penn State can make things difficult early on, it could spell trouble for its opponent. 

With Abdul Carter and Chop Robinson in the backfield, bad throws could be more easily forced, setting up the Nittany Lions' secondary for a potentially big night.