Week 13 College Football Picks: Penn State at Ohio State
The No. 8 Penn State Nittany Lions travel to Columbus this week to face off against No. 2 Ohio State in a game to decide who will represent the East division in the Big Ten title game. The Buckeyes are 18.5-point favorites in their home yard and the point total is set at 59. Here’s a sports betting breakdown and Week 13 college football betting picks for this Big Ten matchup.
Week 13 College Football Odds — Penn State at Ohio State
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- Current Spread: Ohio State -18.5
- Current Total: 57.5
53% of bets are on Ohio State and 88% of bets are on the Over, per VegasInsider.com
James Franklin’s squad has had a stellar season to this point and was making a solid case to make it to the College Football Playoff before getting derailed by Minnesota a few weeks ago. This week presents an opportunity to make a statement against one of the best teams in the country. It’ll be a tall task for the Nittany Lions. Ohio State has dominated every team they’ve played this season. They present an explosive offense averaging 51 points a game and a dominant defense only giving up under 10 points a game.
To make matters more difficult, Penn State will likely be without their top playmaker, KJ Hamler. He’s posted 791 receiving yards this season to go with 8 touchdowns. They’re going to need all the help they can get on offense to compete with the firepower the Buckeyes possess. Going into the game without their top receiver is a huge loss in a game against the best team in country.
Just consider how dominant Ohio State’s run has been through the 2019 season.They boast a Heisman candidate at quarterback in Justin Fields. Their running back, J.K. Dobbins, averages 7 yards a carry and his back up, Master Teague, averages 6.5. Their smallest margin of victory this season was 31 points against Wisconsin, who was ranked No. 13 at the time. While Penn State loses their pass catcher on offense, Ohio State is set to return Chase Young, their top playmaker on defense. He is arguably the best player in College football and will certainly be reeking havoc in the Penn State backfield on Saturday.
Week 13 College Football Picks — Penn State vs. Ohio State
Ohio State hasn’t only dominated their schedule in terms of wins; they’ve also helped sports bettors dominate sportsbooks. Ohio State is 8-2 against the spread this season. They’ve had some lofty numbers to cover and they’ve done it almost every time. I think 18.5 at home is still too short for the top-ranked team in that nation even against a top 10 team. I’ll take them to cover easily.
As for the total in this game, I like the Over. Ohio State is liable to put up 50 points by themselves. Penn State is no slouch on offense either. They will have a tough matchup against the Buckeye defense but they should have plenty of opportunities as I think Ohio State will score quickly and often. If the Buckeyes can get into the mid 40s, which is below average by their standards, there’s no reason to think Penn State couldn’t put at least two touchdowns on the board. Take the over and take Ohio State.
College Football Picks: Ohio State -18.5; Over 57.5
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