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Penn St. Nittany Lions (7-0; 4-0 Big Ten East) vs Ohio State Buckeyes (6-1; 4-0 Big Ten East)
3:30 p.m. ET, October 28, 2017--FOX
Ohio Stadium (Capacity: 104,944 / Columbus, OH)
Difference >25 in National Rank =
Difference >50 in National Rank =
Note:
All of the above rankings are taken directly from the NCAA except for strength of schedule, which is not ranked by the NCAA and instead taken from S&P+.
The Redzone TD% and Redzone TD% Defense are calculated by me and not ranked by the NCAA. Determining who has the advantage in these categories is strictly my arbitrary judgment.
Quick thoughts:
Yep, not too many surprises in this data; this is two of the best teams in the nation going up against each other. The majority of the head-to-head stats are pushes, and Penn State can’t convert on 3rd and longs - and gives up a ton of negative yardage plays.
The one surprise for me in compiling these statistics was Ohio State’s punt return defense - but no one has returned a punt against them this year (!!!). Look for that to change this week; how good Deandre Thompkins will be able to be in special teams is unknown based on the play of that unit to date.
What say you all?