Ohio State vs. Penn State odds, spread, lines: Week 9 college football picks, predictions by computer model
A pair of Big Ten rivals meet up in Happy Valley to get a leg-up on the East Division chase as Penn State welcomes Ohio State in college football's Week 9 action on Saturday.
Ohio State comes in undefeated, as expected, behind one of the sport's five best total offenses, scoring at least 40 points in six straight games.
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Penn State is 6-1 overall and 3-1 in Big Ten games and fresh off an impressive win over Minnesota at home last weekend, but can hardly afford another loss in the division after suffering an ugly defeat at Michigan two weeks ago.
What do the experts think of the matchup? Let's see how the College Football Power Index computer prediction model projects the game.
Ohio State vs. Penn State picks, predictions
Week 9 college football picks: Ohio State vs. Penn State
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The computers are siding with the visitors this week, as Ohio State has the 79.6 percent chance to defeat Penn State on Saturday.
That leaves the Nittany Lions with the 20.4 percent shot to upset the Buckeyes and win a critical head-to-head clash in the division.
The oddsmakers are going with the scarlet and gray, as Ohio State comes in the 15.5 point favorites, according to the lines at SI Sportsbook, which set the over/under mark at 61.5 points for the matchup.
Ohio State checks in at No. 1 on the index's 131 college football rankings, projected to be 28.8 points better than an average team on a neutral field, the widest margin for any team nationally.
FPI predicts the Buckeyes will win 12.0 games on the season and has the nation's best chance to make the College Football Playoff, at 80.9 percent.
Penn State owns the No. 11 position on the computer's rankings, an improvement of three spots from last week, and is estimated to win 9.5 games by the index.
College Football Power Index
Football Power Index (FPI) college football rankings and computer prediction model are a measure of team strength that predicts a team’s future performance.
Rankings and scores predictions are based on 20,000 simulations of a team’s season, using a combination of analytics, including scores to date, quality of opponents, and a team’s schedule.
College football rankings
According to AP top 25 poll
1. Georgia (31 1st-place votes)
2. Ohio State (18)
3. Tennessee (13)
4. Michigan
5. Clemson (1)
6. Alabama
7. TCU
8. Oregon
9. Oklahoma State
10. USC
T-10. Wake Forest
12. UCLA
13. Penn State
14. Utah
15. Ole Miss
16. Syracuse
17. Illinois
18. LSU
19. Kentucky
20. Cincinnati
21. North Carolina
22. Kansas State
23. Tulane
24. NC State
25. South Carolina