Can the second-ranked Penn State Nittany Lions upset the sixth-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes for the second year in a row and put themselves in position to earn their first College Football Playoff berth?
Odds courtesy of OddsShark.com
That is the big question college football bettors are asking themselves as they prepare for this Saturday’s Big Ten showdown in Columbus, as Ohio State (6-1) sits as a 6-point home favorite over unbeaten Penn State (7-0).
Last season, the Nittany Lions turned an unlikely field-goal block into the game-winning touchdown to beat the Buckeyes 24-21 at home as 17.5-point underdogs. Ohio State is out to avenge that loss and prove a 31-16 home setback versus the 10th-ranked Oklahoma Sooners in its second game was a bit of a fluke.
With a fifth victory in six meetings, the Buckeyes would have an argument to be included in the CFP talk as serious one-loss contenders for the national championship. Early betting action has come in on the Nittany Lions though off their 42-13 rout of the Michigan Wolverines.
Bettors also like the third-ranked Georgia Bulldogs (7-0) to blow out the Florida Gators (3-3) in their annual SEC rivalry game, pushing them up to 14.5-point favorites after opening at -14. The Bulldogs remain on a collision course to meet the top-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide in an intriguing SEC Championship Game matchup.
Another Top 5 team in action this Saturday is the fourth-ranked TCU Horned Frogs (7-0), who will try to avoid being bit by the upset bug when they visit the 25th-ranked Iowa State Cyclones (5-2). The Horned Frogs opened as 6-point road chalk but are up to -6.5 now despite the fact that the Cyclones previously defeated the Oklahoma Sooners 38-31 as 31-point dogs away from home three weeks ago.
A dark-horse pick for the CFP this year is the fifth-ranked Wisconsin Badgers (7-0), whose toughest opponent until a potential matchup with Ohio State or Penn State in the Big Ten Championship Game looks to be Michigan on November 18. This week, the Badgers visit the Illinois Fighting Illini (2-5) as 26-point road chalk. If you like Wisconsin, now might be the time to wager since this line could hit -28 or higher before kickoff.
