Top 5 matchups for Week 10 of the 2024 college football season
1. No. 4 Ohio State at No. 3 Penn State – Saturday, Noon ET, FOX
There will be some good games throughout the weekend but none match the battle between top-five opponents in Happy Valley. Ohio State and Penn State have played 38 times dating back to 1912 and annually since the Nittany Lions joined the Big Ten in 1993. Ohio State leads the series with a 24-14 record thanks to a dominant recent stretch where it has won seven games in a row and 11 of the last 12.
James Franklin鈥檚 Nittany Lions can鈥檛 seem to get over the hump against Ohio State and are around field-goal underdogs again despite being the higher-ranked home team. However, this may be Penn State鈥檚 best shot at beating the Buckeyes in a while as the Nittany Lions are a perfect 7-0 with impressive back-to-back road wins at USC and Wisconsin. Starting quarterback Drew Allar was injured in Madison, and while backup Beau Pribula played well in his absence, Allar鈥檚 availability could be crucial for the 13th-ranked offense in the country.
The Nittany Lions鈥� defense has been even better, ranking fourth overall while allowing just 10 touchdowns this year. However, it hasn鈥檛 faced a test like Ohio State as the Buckeyes鈥� ninth-ranked offense is full of stars, including quarterback Will Howard, running back Quinshon Judkins and wide receivers Jeremiah Smith and Emeka Egbuka. The same can be said for the Buckeyes鈥� second-ranked defense which has the capability to shut down Penn State. Ohio State is coming off a lackluster showing against Nebraska but is still 6-1 with just a one-point loss at Oregon. A signature road win would be big for Ryan Day and would be a step toward a potential Big Ten title game rematch with the Ducks.
