CFB: Penn State vs. Ohio State Preview

The Game of the Year to this point in the 2017-18 college football season is here as No. 2 Penn State travels to No. 6 Ohio State, with huge implications on the line, including potential College Football Playoff berths and Big Ten titles. Last year, both of these teams were in the mix at the end of the season, and the Buckeyes earned a playoff spot. But the Nittany Lions won this game last year. The winner will gain an inside edge on winning the Big Ten championship and could be in line to reach the CFP. Because it's such an important game, we have our CFB Staff of Caleb Henderson, Charles Post, and Chinedum Wejinya, here to preview each aspect.

Quarterbacks (J.T. Barrett vs. Trace McSorley): The Buckeyes have J.T. Barrett, who is a four-year starting signal caller and has 1,838 yards and 21 touchdowns to just one interception. He has won plenty of big games in his career, beginning with a win over Michigan State during his freshman year, defeating Michigan in his sophomore season, and then taking down Oklahoma last fall. Trace McSorley is in his second season starting for Penn State and he has 1,879 yards, 14 touchdowns, and five picks. He's won a couple of big games as well with wins over Ohio State, Wisconsin, and Michigan, but none of those were on the road.

Caleb Henderson: Ohio State.

Charles Post: Ohio State.

Chinedum Wejinya: Ohio State.

Running Backs (J.K. Dobbins vs. Saquon Barkley): Ohio State may have the advantage with the quarterback position, but they don't have Penn State's running back - Saquon Barkley. He has been one of the best players in the entire nation and has proved his versatility over and over. Barkley has 757 rushing yards and eight scores on the season, on 117 carries. However, J.K. Dobbins is no slouch himself. Yeah, he's just a freshman but his patience has been the key to such a successful campaign so far. He has 775 yards and five touchdowns on just 100 attempts. Penn State has the edge, but it may not be by as much as people like to think.

Caleb Henderson: Penn State.

Charles Post: Penn State.

Chinedum Wejinya: Penn State.

Wide Receivers and Tight Ends (Parris Campbell vs. Mike Gesicki): The Nittany Lions have a ton of playmakers all over the field, and that includes their All-American tight end, Mike Gesiki who has 24 catches on the year. But it doesn't stop there because DaeSean Hamilton is a stud with 481 yards four touchdowns, while Juwan Johnson has 333 yards. Ohio State has a couple of speedsters on the outside as well, starting with Parris Campbell who averages 14.5 yards per catch and K.J. Hill who has 28 catches for 274 yards for three touchdowns. The Bucks' tight end, Marcus Baugh, also has 13 catches for 141 yards.

Caleb Henderson: Toss Up.

Charles Post: Penn State.

Chinedum Wejinya: Toss Up.

Defense (Nick Bosa and Tyquan Lewis vs. Amani Oruwariye and Shaka Toney): Both of these defenses have a ton of talent, flying around the ball, and have the ability to create turnovers. Ohio State has allowed only 15.4 points per game, and Penn State has done a bit better, giving up just 9.6 points per game. Both teams allow less than 200 passing yards and 120 rushing yards per game. Nick Bosa, who has 12 tackles and Tyquan Lewis who has four sacks, will be looking to take down Barkley and McSorley. Amani Oruwariye has three interceptions and will be looking to add another one against Barrett. He also has nine tackles on the year.

Caleb Henderson: Penn State.

Charles Post: Ohio State.

Chinedum Wejinya: Ohio State.

Special Teams (Sean Nuernberger vs. Tyler Davis): Ohio State's kicker hasn't missed an extra point on the season, going 42-42, while hitting 7-9 field goals, with one miss coming from 40+ yards out. However, he only has a long of 33 yards so unless the Buckeyes are inside of the 15-yard line, they may not feel comfortable. Tyler Davis is 36-36 on extra points and is a troubling 6-13 from field goals. He's 2-8 from 30+ yards out. If this game comes down to kicking, as it did last season, then I don't think either team will feel comfortable. Penn State does have Saquon Barkley returning kicks, though, which is another way to get him the ball.

Caleb Henderson: Toss Up.

Charles Post: Ohio State.

Chinedum Wejinya: Ohio State.

Predictions: Ohio State won the quarterbacks (3-0), defense (2-1, and special teams (2-1) sections, while Penn State won the running backs (3-0), and there was a toss up in the wide receivers and tight ends category. The Buckeyes are averaging 47.3 points, 577.3 yards, and is allowing 305.3 yards per game. The Nittany Lions are averaging 40.0 points, 463.3 yards, and is allowing 282.9 yards per game. Ohio State is 6-1 (4-0) with their lone loss coming to Oklahoma, and Penn State is 7-0 (4-0) after blowing out Michigan last weekend. Check out below for who our College Football Staff has winning the Game of the Year in the Big Ten.

Caleb Henderson: Penn State (31-27)

Charles Post: Ohio State (30-21)

Chinedum Wejinya: Ohio State (35-23)

Photo Credit: Land of 10 & Sports Illustrated.