How Ohio State, Penn State Winner Impacts Oregon Ducks, Big Ten, College Football Playoff

Ohio State and Penn State battle in a Big Ten game with massive Big Ten Title and College Football Playoff implications. How will the outcome impact the Oregon Ducks? Which team should Oregon Ducks fans cheer for? ESPN's College GameDay is headed to Happy Valley for the matchup.

Ohio State, Penn State Winner: Impacts Oregon Ducks, Big Ten, College Football Playoff - Dan Lanning /

No. 4 Ohio State and No. 3 Penn State battle in a Big Ten game with massive Big Ten Title and College Football Playoff implications. How will the outcome impact the Oregon Ducks? Which team should Oregon Ducks fans cheer for? ESPN's College GameDay is headed to Happy Valley for the matchup that is sure to be highly entertaining.

This weekend, the Big Ten Conference has two major matchups to look forward to as an Oregon Duck fan: the No.1 Oregon Ducks taking on Michigan in the “Big House” for the first time since 2007, and No. 4 Ohio State Buckeyes headed to Beaver Stadium to play No. 3 Penn State. Duck fans should be keeping an eye on the later game, as its results will have lasting results for the Big Ten Conference Championship and Oregon’s potential playoff berth.

Ohio State coach Ryan Day, Oregon Ducks Coach Dan Lanning /

Currently, Ohio State is 6-1, with their only loss being to the Oregon Ducks 32-31 earlier this year. According to ESPN’s matchup predictor, the Buckeyes are favored to win this match-up by over 60 percent. At this point in the season, Ohio State is out-scoring their opponents by an average of 31 points with total points so far being 247 compared to a combined opponent score of 76. Currently, Ohio State is second in the nation for average points scored compared to their competitors. 

Ohio State’s biggest weakness right now is their passing game. The Buckeyes have 296.33 passing yards per game and starting quarterback Will Howard has gone for 134 - 181 on completions and 17 touchdowns in the air so far this season. However, Howard rarely goes deep with his targets.

Ohio State Buckeyes quarterback Will Howard (18) runs the ball against Nebraska Cornhuskers during the fourth quarter of their game at Ohio Stadium on Oct 26, 2024, in Columbus. / Kyle Robertson/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The challenge for the Buckeyes is they desperately need a win to continue being in the conversation for the Big Ten Conference Championship. Buckeyes coach Ryan Day is now 2-6 against ranked teams during his tenure with Ohio State. Falling to a No. 3 Penn State could be another match in the fire under his coaching seat.

Moving on to the Penn State Nittany Lions, and this program is on a current undefeated roll. Their most recent victory was a 28-13 road win over Wisconsin. The Nittany Lions boast 1,373 more total offensive yards than all of their opponents this year combined. Except for a 33-30 comeback win against the USC Trojans, most of Penn State’s games haven’t been close. 

One concern for the Lions is their starting quarterback Drew Allar. Allar left the Wisconsin game last week with an apparent knee injury. Many outlets are currently reporting that Allar may be a “game time” decision for coach James Franklin and crew. Allar has been key for Penn State’s success, hitting completion percentages higher than 70 percent in four of the Lions’ seven victories.

Penn State quarterback Drew Allar (15) heads to the locker room during the second quarter of their game Saturday, October 26, 2024 at Camp Randall Stadium in Madison, Wisconsin. Penn State beat Wisconsin 28-13. / Mark Hoffman/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Overall, expect this game to be a knife’s edge close. Even former Ohio State coach Urban Meyer said on the Triple Option Podcast this week that Ohio State vs. Penn State will be decided within a score.

“I think Penn State covers the spread. I think this is going to be a walk off for one of the two teams. I don’t know. I’m not ready to make a pick on who’s gonna win. This will be a one, two-point game,” Meyer said.

So, what does this game mean for the Ducks? In the Big Ten, the Ducks, the Nittany Lions, and the Indiana Hoosiers are all undefeated. What’s interesting, is none of these teams face each other at all during the regular season.

If Penn State, Indiana, and the Ducks remain undefeated, these three teams will be competing for two spots in the Big Ten Championship; and that would be decided by a determination of the team's strength of schedule in conference play or the "best cumulative conference winning percentage of all conference opponents." Oregon has three ranked team wins under their belt already, and that victory over Ohio State will look good on that Big Ten Championship resume. A Buckeyes win over Penn State would boost the Ducks' cumulative conference winning percentage.

If Ohio State wins and hands Penn State its first defeat, then that puts the Buckeyes at 7-1, tied with the Nittany Lions. If Indiana wins out, it will likely be Oregon vs. Indiana. However, if Oregon or Indiana loses, then the Nittany Lions, Buckeyes, and the Ducks or Hoosiers will compete for that second Big Ten Championship invite. At this point, all other Big Ten teams have amassed too many losses to be considered for the conference championship.

Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel calls to his teammates as the No. 1 Oregon Ducks host the No. 21 Illinois Fighting Illini Saturday, Oct. 26, 2024 at Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Ore. / Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Of course, a conference championship game win would advance the Ducks to the second round of the new 12-team college football playoffs, ultimately giving them a better chance at their first NCAA National Championship title. If the Ducks win out their season and lose in the Big Ten Championship game, their record will still demand an inclusion into the 12-team playoff.

Either way, Ducks fans should be keeping a close eye on Beaver Stadium at 9am PT on Saturday before the Ducks play Michigan in Ann Arbor Saturday at 12:30pm.

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