By Only Players Staff
Updated 11/2/24 4:50am ET
State College has felt more like Unhappy Valley when the Nittany Lions face an elite opponent. The latest opportunity is #4 Ohio State.
Third-ranked Penn State hosts the Buckeyes as three-point underdogs. The point spread was 3.5 but respected money arrived on the home underdog throughout the week.
Since arriving in the Keystone State, James Franklin is 1-13 against top-five schools. His critics routinely point to that, despite ranking among the sport’s 15 highest-paid coaches with a base salary of $8.5 million.
His lone win came against the Buckeyes in 2016, when the Nittany Lions inexplicably scored 17 straight points in the fourth quarter. That final touchdown came on a blocked field goal return.
Since then, the Buckeyes have won seven straight meetings. However, this is the first time since 1996 that both are ranked in the top five.
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