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With the Nov. 1 showdown between Ohio State and Penn State set to kick off at noon, what do Dispatch writers predict will happen at Ohio Stadium?

The Buckeyes had a Week 9 bye and remain the No. 1 team in the US LBM coaches poll with a 7-0 record. Ohio State's defense has allowed 5.8 points per game, the fewest in the FBS and the lowest average through seven games in the FBS since 1993.

Penn State, which also had a Week 9 bye, last played against Iowa on Oct. 18 and lost 25-24. It was the first game for Penn State since the team fired coach James Franklin and replaced him with interim coach Terry Smith. Meanwhile, central Ohio native Ethan Grunkemeyer started at quarterback in place of an injured Drew Allar (broken ankle).

Ohio State's Week 8 win came against Wisconsin was a 34-0 shutout. Quarterback Julian Sayin passed for a career-best 393 yards and four touchdowns in the win.

Here are our predictions for the Week 10 showdown between Ohio State and Penn State:

Stream Ohio State vs. Penn State

Ohio State vs. Penn State odds, money line, over/under

Odds courtesy of BetMGM (As of Oct. 31)

• Moneyline: Ohio State -1400
• Spread: Ohio State by 19.5
• Over/under: 44.5

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Ohio State vs. Penn State predictions

Joey Kaufman, Columbus Dispatch: Ohio State 31, Penn State 14. It was eye-catching for the Buckeyes to open as nearly three-touchdown favorites considering a decade has passed since they defeated the Nittany Lions by such a wide margin. The recent iterations of this series have all been close. Though Ohio State holds an eight-game winning streak, its average margin of victory is just 6.75 points. Don’t be surprised if the trend continues with talent still remaining on the roster at Penn State.

Rob Oller, Columbus Dispatch: Ohio State 31, Penn State 3. What's the saying? "You can't go home again." Except in the case of Penn State defensive coordinator Jim Knowles, it should be "You shouldn't go home again." The Buckeyes will beat up PSU's defense, led by Knowles, and OSU's offense will do enough to keep the Scarlet and Gray marching toward Michigan and the playoff.

Adam Jardy, Columbus Dispatch: Ohio State 38, Penn State 7. The biggest task for Ohio State, aside from staying focused as a significant favorite yet again, will be not to make it too personal against former defensive coordinator Jim Knowles. If the Buckeyes can do that, this shapes up to be another comfortable win on the march to the playoffs.

Dan Aulbach, Columbus Dispatch: Ohio State 35, Penn State 7. It's been an underwhelming season for the Nittany Lions, who have just begun the post-Franklin era with central Ohio native Ethan Grunkemeyer acting as the starting quarterback. The on-field product against Iowa was uninspiring, as Penn State lost against a quarterback who threw for 68 yards. I don't think there's much hope facing a rested Ohio State defense for Grunkemeyer, but stranger things have happened.

Ohio State vs. Penn State scouting report: What we're watching

Joey Kaufman: What’s the impact of the history between Jim Knowles and Ohio State? Knowles, the defensive coordinator who left for Penn State, spent three seasons with the Buckeyes, assuring that the play-callers will be intimately familiar with each other. Though Day has turned over offensive play-calling to Brian Hartline, he has a good track record in these situations, having gotten the better of Michigan defensive coordinator Don Brown in 2019 and 2018. The two had worked as assistants together at Boston College.

Rob Oller: Broken record here, but how good is Ohio State at running the ball? I thought we would see a run-centric attack against Wisconsin on Oct. 18. Instead, the Buckeyes went to the air early and often. Thus, still not sure if the run game is good enough to get the job done against top-five defenses. Otherwise, I am curious to see if the Nittany Lions have any fight left in them after four consecutive losses.

Adam Jardy: Can Penn State throw some chaos into the equation? It's been a brutal year for the program, but the firing of coach James Franklin and the loss of longtime quarterback Drew Allar to season-ending injury gives the Nittany Lions license to get weird. With nothing to lose and an extra week of practice, how creative will Penn State get?

Dan Aulbach: Every week, the Ohio State running back room receives criticism for its good, not great, performances. Last week, a newer face broke into the scene when Isaiah West split the majority of backfield carries with Bo Jackson. Averaging 6.1 yards per carry last week, have the Buckeyes finally found a potential answer in a West/Jackson split backfield?

Bold predictions

A 100-yard rusher emerges for Buckeyes

Joey Kaufman: None of the Buckeyes running backs has rushed for 100 yards in a Big Ten game this season, a stretch that will end with freshman Bo Jackson hitting that mark against the Nittany Lions, who are among the worst in the conference in defending the run. Penn State has allowed an average of 202 rushing yards in its conference games, the worst among the 18 teams in the Big Ten. The off week should have also helped Jackson, who was a little nicked up at Illinois, to get closer to full strength.

OSU defense holds Penn State to field goal

Rob Oller: Ohio State will hold an opponent to fewer than seven points for the fifth time this season. It's one thing to do that against Grambling State, quite another to accomplish against a traditional powerhouse like Penn State. Keep this up and the Buckeyes will go down as one of the top-three defenses in school history.

Ohio State rushes for at least 150 yards

Adam Jardy: The only topic to merit persistent questioning in recent weeks has been an inability to effectively run the football. Ohio State hasn't reached 150 rushing yards in a Big Ten game this year and did not crack 100 last time out at Wisconsin. By hook or by crook, the Buckeyes will grind out at least 150 yards against the Big Ten's third-worst rushing defense.

Julian Sayin throws fewer than four incomplete passes

Dan Aulbach: Every week, Sayin has shown gradual improvement in his maturity as Ohio State's quarterback. Though on the road against a weaker opponent, the redshirt freshman showed once more his accuracy is irreplicable and I fully expect his completion percentage to remain atop the FBS.

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio State football vs Penn State predictions, picks, odds for Week 10

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