This is a game that both schools have had circled on their calendars for months. Saturday’s showdown between No. 8 Penn State and No. 1 Ohio State at the Horseshoe will have ripple effects for the Big Ten Championship and the College Football Playoff. 

[protected-iframe id=”0d822fa22c40b2754e3a6cd705e271dd-58289342-150719707″ info=”https://fubo-preview.global.ssl.fastly.net/lp/preview/index-lite.html?params=irad%3D538235%26irmp%3D1205322%26pack%3Dfubotv-basic&page_slug=FOX” style=”max-width: 640px;” width = “100%”]

Penn State vs. Ohio State

When: Saturday, November 23

Time: 12:00 p.m. ET

TV: FOX

Live Stream: fuboTV (watch for free)

Penn State will have to do something that only one other Big Ten team has been able to accomplish since 2011. OSU has lost exactly one Big Ten game at home since 2011. However, The Nittany Lions nearly beat the Buckeyes in Columbus two years ago.

The winner of this game has not only won the East but the entire Big Ten, three seasons in a row. The last three meetings have been decided by a combined five points. In all three of those games, the winning team rallied from a double-digit deficit in the fourth quarter.

Defensive end Chase Young returns for the Buckeyes after a two-game suspension. He is the heart and soul of the defense and teams have to take extra time preparing just for him. The last time the superstar stepped on the field at the Horseshoe, he delivered four sacks against Wisconsin. Ohio State is also ranked first in the country in total defense, allowing 216 yards per game.

While Young has been getting a lot of attention, so has quarterback Justin Fields, who in his first year as OSU’s quarterback, has 31 touchdowns and just one interception. Last weekend against Rutgers, Fields went 15-for-19 with 305 yards and four touchdowns in a 56-21 win. Running back J.K. Robbins also has 13 touchdowns on the season and is averaging seven yards per carry.

How healthy are the Nittany Lions. Running back Noah Cain did more in warmups last Saturday than he did at Minnesota, but he still did not play against Indiana. With the absence of Cain, Journey Brown has stepped in. For the second week in a row, he rushed for at least 100 yards. Star wide receiver K.J. Hamler left last week’s game with an injury, but head coach James Franklin said the team is hopeful it will have Hamler this weekend. He has the speed to change a game in one play. Hamler turned a short reception into a 93-yard catch-and-run score against the Buckeyes at Beaver Stadium last season.

Penn State quarterback Sean Clifford sure hopes Hamler will return. Hamler is his go-to wide receiver. Clifford ran for two touchdowns and threw for another in the Lions’ 34-27 win over Indiana. The redshirt sophomore is ranked first in the Big Ten in total offense (2,450 passing yards, 374 rushing yards).

The Penn State defense has shown its vulnerabilities these last few games but has still been solid this season. PSU has allowed a total of 58 points in the last two games and the secondary struggled to keep up with the Minnesota and Indiana passing attacks. Ohio State’s offense is better than both of those, so the secondary will need to step up its game.

We recommend interesting sports viewing and streaming opportunities. If you sign up to a service by clicking one of the links, we may earn a referral fee.