- OPENING KICK: No. 9 Penn State and No. 2 Ohio State both face their toughest tests of the season when they meet Saturday in Ohio Stadium. The game is set for noon on FOX.
- TOUGH COMPETITION: Penn State is facing its fifth Associated Press Top 25-ranked opponent in the last six games, marking its most difficult stretch of games since the AP Poll began in 1936. Ohio State is playing its third AP Top 25 team this season, while both teams are facing their first Top 10 team.
- TOP SCORERS: Ohio State (51.5) and Penn State (36.8) boast the top two scoring offenses in the Big Ten, while quarterbacks Justin Fields (24.6) and Sean Clifford (16.4) lead the Big Ten in points responsible for. However, both teams are also among the leaders in scoring defense, as Ohio State leads the country in the category (9.8 ppg) and Penn State is seventh (13.5 ppg).
- PILING UP THE YARDS: Penn State QB Sean Clifford and WR KJ Hamler both rank among Big Ten leaders in yardage. Clifford leads the conference with 287.8 yards of total offense per game and ranks second with 2,450 passing yards and 245.0 passing yards per game. Hamler ranks fourth in all-purpose yards per game (128.1) and receiving yards (791), while RB Journey Brown has rushed for 100 yards in each of the last two games.
- THIS DEFENSE: Penn State (13.5 ppg) ranks seventh nationally in scoring defense and 17th in total defense (316.2 ypg), led by a stingy rushing defense allowing just 75.9 yards per game (4th FBS) and an FBS-best 2.19 yards per rush. Penn State has 33 sacks through nine games to average 3.30 sacks per game (11th in FBS). The Nittany Lions also rank 14th in the country with 7.6 tackles for loss per game.
- THE OPPOSITION: Ohio State (10-0) owns the second-longest active winning streak in the country with 16-straight wins. The Buckeyes boast both the top scoring offense (51.5 ppg) and defense (9.8 ppg) in the nation, while their defense also leads the country in yards per game (216.4 ypg) and their offense ranks fourth (541.7 ypg).
HEAD COACH RYAN DAY
- Ryan Day became the 25th head football coach at Ohio State on Jan. 2, 2019.
- Day officially started his head coaching career with a record of 3-0 at the beginning of the 2018 season when he served about eight weeks in August and September as Ohio State's acting head coach.
- A QB coach for the San Francisco 49ers in 2016 under Chip Kelly and in 2015 for the Philadelphia Eagles under Kelly, Day is in his third season overall at Ohio State and his 18th season as a coach in the NFL or collegiate ranks. He was Ohio State's offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach the past two seasons.
- Day was a three-year starting quarterback at New Hampshire when Chip Kelly was offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach, graduating in 2002.
SCOUTING THE BUCKEYES
- Ohio State is 10-0 overall and 7-0 to lead the Big Ten East Division and ranks No. 2.
- The Buckeyes are one of three remaining undefeated teams (Clemson & LSU).
- Quarterback Justin Fields ranks fourth in FBS and leads the Big Ten with 31 touchdown passes, and ranks 24th nationally and fourth in the Big Ten with 10 rushing touchdowns.
- Running back J.K. Dobbins ranks second in FBS in yards per carry (7.04), fourth rushing yards per game (128.9), ninth in all-purpose yards per game (142.9) and 10th in rushing touchdowns (13).
- Wide receiver Chris Olave leads the Big Ten with nine receiving touchdowns.
- Defensive end Chase Young leads FBS with 1.69 sacks per game and ranks second with 1.9 tackles for loss per game.
NITTANY LIONS FROM OHIO
- QB Sean Clifford – Cincinnati/St. Xavier
- DT Aeneas Hawkins - Cincinnati/Moeller
- OL Mike Miranda – Stow/Stow-Munroe Falls
- OL Juice Scruggs – Ashtabula/Cathedral Prep (Pa.)
- DT Antonio Shelton – Westerville/Westerville-North
- SN Chris Stoll – Westerville/St. Francis DeSales
STORIED PROGRAMS MEET ON GRIDIRON
- Penn State and Ohio State both rank among the top-10 programs in winning percentage and total victories in NCAA history.
- Four of the top-10 winningest programs in NCAA history are from the Big Ten.
- Penn State sits No. 8 in all-time victories (896) and No. 10 in winning percentage (.689).
- Ohio State sits second with 921 all-time victories and No. 2 with an all-time winning percentage of .729.
- The Nittany Lions and Buckeyes are also among the most ranked teams in NCAA history according to the AP poll.
- Ohio State has spent 105 weeks ranked No. 1 in the AP Poll (2nd all-time) and Penn State has earned the No. 1 ranking by the AP on 21 occasions (T-15th all-time). (Not including preseason rankings).
- Penn State's 643 weeks ranked among the AP Top 25 and 382 ranked among the Top 10 both rank ninth all-time, while Ohio State's 915 weeks in the Top 25 and 634 in the Top 10 are both the most in NCAA history.
- AP Poll statistics are since 1936; according to CollegePollArchive.com
TOP 10 GAMES
- Penn State is playing its first regular season game in which both teams are ranked in the CFP Top 10.
- Penn State is playing its 30th regular-season game in which both teams are ranked in the AP Top 10.
- Penn State is 13-16 in the 29 previous AP Top 10 regular-season match-ups.
- Nine of those games have been played against Ohio State. The Nittany Lions have won three.
| Date | PSU | OPP | TM | Site | Result |
| Nov. 7, 1959 | 7 | 4 | Syracuse | H | L, 18-20 |
| Sept. 16, 1972 | 6 | 7 | Tennessee | A | L, 21-28 |
| Sept. 20, 1975 | 7 | 3 | Ohio State | A | L, 9-17 |
| Oct. 26, 1975 | 9 | 10 | West Virginia | A | W, 39-0 |
| Sept. 18, 1976 | 7 | 2 | Ohio State | H | L, 7-12 |
| Sept. 17, 1977 | 10 | 9 | Houston | H | W, 31-14 |
| Nov. 26, 1977 | 9 | 10 | Pitt | A | W, 15-13 |
| Sept. 16, 1978 | 5 | 6 | Ohio State | A | W, 19-0 |
| Nov. 4, 1978 | 2 | 5 | Maryland | H | W, 27-3 |
| Nov. 28, 1980 | 5 | 4 | Pitt | H | L, 9-14 |
| Nov. 14, 1981 | 5 | 6 | Alabama | H | L, 16-31 |
| Sept. 25, 1982 | 8 | 2 | Nebraska | H | W, 27-24 |
| Oct. 9, 1982 | 3 | 4 | Alabama | A | L, 21-42 |
| Nov. 26, 1982 | 2 | 5 | Pitt | H | W, 19-10 |
| Aug. 29, 1983 | 4 | 1 | Nebraska | N | L, 6-44 |
| Sept. 29, 1984 | 4 | 2 | Texas | N | L, 3-28 |
| Oct. 12, 1985 | 8 | 10 | Alabama | H | W, 19-17 |
| Oct. 25, 1986 | 6 | 2 | Alabama | A | W, 23-3 |
| Oct. 12, 1991 | 9 | 10 | Miami (Fla.) | A | L, 20-26 |
| Oct. 10, 1992 | 7 | 2 | Miami (Fla.) | H | L, 14-17 |
| Oct. 15, 1994 | 3 | 5 | Michigan | A | W, 31-24 |
| Oct. 5, 1996 | 4 | 3 | Ohio State | A | L, 7-38 |
| Oct. 11, 1997 | 2 | 7 | Ohio State | H | W, 31-27 |
| Nov. 8, 1997 | 2 | 4 | Michigan | H | L, 8-34 |
| Oct. 3, 1998 | 7 | 1 | Ohio State | A | L, 9-28 |
| Aug. 28, 1999 | 3 | 4 | Arizona | H | W, 41-7 |
| Oct. 25, 2008 | 3 | 10 | Ohio State | A | W, 13-6 |
| Oct. 28, 2017 | 2 | 6 | Ohio State | A | L, 38-39 |
| Sept. 29, 2018 | 9 | 4 | Ohio State | H | L, 26-27 |
| Nov. 23, 2019 | 9 | 2 | Ohio State | A | -- |
PENN STATE VS. AP NO. 2
- Penn State is 2-1 when playing No. 2-ranked Ohio State teams, earning wins in 1964 (27-0; Away) and 2016 (24-21; Home), and coming up short in 1976 (7-12; Home).
- Ohio State is Penn State's highest-ranked opponent since the 2016 win over the Buckeyes.
- Penn State is playing the No. 2 team on the road for the first time since 1991 (Miami [Fla.]; L, 20-26).
- The last time Penn State faced a team ranked No. 2 or higher on the road was when it faced No. 1 Ohio State on Oct. 17, 2015 (L, 10-38).
- The last time Penn State earned a road win over the No. 2 team was at Alabama on Oct. 25, 1986 (23-3).
- The last time Penn State earned a road win over a team ranked No. 2 or higher was Nov. 7, 1990, a 24-21 win at No. 1 Notre Dame.
TOP 25 GAMES WITH OHIO STATE
- Penn State and Ohio State are meeting as AP Top 25 opponents for the 19th time in series history. The Nittany Lions are 6-12 in the 18 ranked match-ups.
- Penn State and Ohio State are meeting as ranked opponents in three consecutive seasons for the first time since meeting as Top 25 opponents for five consecutive seasons from 2005-09.
| Year | PSU | OSU | Site | Result |
| 1975 | 7 | 3 | Away | Ohio State, 17-9 |
| 1976 | 7 | 2 | Home | Ohio State, 12-7 |
| 1980 | 10 | 11 | N (Fiesta) | Penn State, 31-19 |
| 1993 | 12 | 3 | Away | Ohio State, 24-6 |
| 1994 | 1 | 21 | Home | Penn State, 63-14 |
| 1995 | 12 | 5 | Home | Ohio State, 28-25 |
| 1996 | 4 | 3 | Away | Ohio State, 38-7 |
| 1997 | 2 | 7 | Home | Penn State, 31-27 |
| 1998 | 7 | 1 | Away | Ohio State, 28-9 |
| 1999 | 2 | 18 | Home | Penn State, 23-10 |
| 2002 | 18 | 4 | Away | Ohio State, 13-7 |
| 2005 | 16 | 6 | Home | Penn State, 17-10 |
| 2006 | 24 | 1 | Away | Ohio State, 28-6 |
| 2007 | 24 | 1 | Home | Ohio State, 37-17 |
| 2008 | 3 | 10 | Away | Penn State, 13-6 |
| 2009 | 11 | 15 | Home | Ohio State, 24-7 |
| 2017 | 2 | 6 | Away | Ohio State, 39-38 |
| 2018 | 9 | 4 | Home | Ohio State, 27-26 |
| 2019 | 9 | 2 | Away | -- |
DEGREE OF DIFFICULTY
- Penn State's FBS opponents' combined .600 winning percentage is the highest among current FBS undefeated and one-loss teams.
- Penn State is playing its fifth AP Top 25 team in its last six games, marking the Nittany Lions' most difficult stretch since the AP Poll debuted in 1936.
- Penn State is playing three consecutive AP Top 25 teams in a single regular season for the first time since 2017 and sixth time (1960, 1993, 1997, 2003, 2017, 2019) since the AP Poll began in 1936.
- Penn State is playing at least five AP Top 25 teams in a single regular season for the first time since 2003 and fifth time ever (1955, 1982, 1999, 2003, 2019). Penn State played six ranked teams in 1999.
- Tough Wins
- Penn State defeated ranked opponents in back-to-back games (No. 17 Iowa, 17-12; No. 16 Michigan, 28-21) for the first time since 2005 when the Nittany Lions topped No. 18 Minnesota (44-14) and No. 6 Ohio State (17-10) in consecutive weeks.
- At Iowa, Penn State defeated a ranked opponent in a true road game for the first time since a 31-24 victory at No. 14 Wisconsin in 2013.
GET UP, IT'S GAMEDAY
- ESPN's College GameDay Built by The Home Depot program will be live from Ohio State on Saturday.
- This is the 20th time College GameDay has been at the site of a Penn State game.
- The popular pregame college football program will air live from 9 a.m.-noon (ET) Saturday.
- College GameDay has appeared at a Penn State game in each of the last four seasons, joining the Michigan game earlier this season (home), 2018 Ohio State game (home), 2017 Michigan (home) and Ohio State (away) contests and the 2016 Big Ten Championship Game.
- GameDay is visiting the site of a Penn State game twice in the same season for the first time since 2017, when it also visited Penn State's home Michigan game and road Ohio State game. GameDay also visited multiple Nittany Lion games in 2005 and 2010.
- Penn State is 3-7 with GameDay on the road, defeating Michigan (1994), Michigan State (2005) and Ohio State (2008).
| DATE | OPPONENT | SCORE | |
| 1. | Oct. 15, 1994 | at Michigan | W, 31-24 |
| 2. | Oct. 5, 1996 | at Ohio State | L, 38-7 |
| 3. | Nov. 8, 1997 | Michigan | L, 34-8 |
| 4. | Oct. 3, 1998 | at Ohio State | L, 28-9 |
| 5. | Aug. 28, 1999 | Arizona | W, 41-7 |
| 6. | Sept. 25, 2004 | at Wisconsin | L, 16-3 |
| 7. | Oct. 8, 2005 | Ohio State | W, 17-10 |
| 8. | Nov. 19, 2005 | at Michigan State | W, 31-22 |
| 9. | Sept. 23, 2006 | at Ohio State | L, 28-6 |
| 10. | Oct. 27, 2007 | Ohio State | L, 37-17 |
| 11. | Oct. 25, 2008 | at Ohio State | W, 13-6 |
| 12. | Sept. 26, 2009 | Iowa | L, 21-10 |
| 13. | Sept. 11, 2010 | at Alabama | L, 24-3 |
| 14. | Nov. 13, 2010 | at Ohio State | L, 38-24 |
| 15. | Dec. 3, 2016 | vs. Wisconsin (Indianapolis) | W, 38-31 |
| 16. | Oct. 21, 2017 | Michigan | W, 42-13 |
| 17. | Oct. 28, 2017 | at Ohio State | L, 39-38 |
| 18. | Sept. 29, 2018 | Ohio State | L, 27-26 |
| 19. | Oct. 19, 2019 | Michigan | W, 28-21 |
| 20. | Nov. 23, 2019 | at Ohio State | -- |
PENN STATE-OHIO STATE CONNECTIONS
- Penn State junior DE Shane Simmons and Ohio State junior DE Chase Young played together at DeMatha Catholic in Maryland.
- Penn State sophomore WR KJ Hamler and freshmen RB Noah Cain and CB Makai Self and Ohio State sophomore DT Taron Vincent and junior CB Marcus Williamson all attended IMG Academy in Florida.
- Penn State freshman QB Ta'Quan Roberson and Ohio State freshman S Ronnie Hickman played together at DePaul Catholic in New Jersey.
- Penn State sophomore OL Mike Miranda and Ohio State senior S Owen Fankhauser played together at Stow-Munroe Falls in Ohio.
- Penn State senior LB Cam Brown and Ohio State freshman S Bryson Shaw attended The Bullis School in Maryland.
- Penn State sophomore CB Donovan Johnson and Ohio State senior OL Joshua Alabi played together at Cass Tech in Detroit.
- Penn State sophomore SN Chris Stoll and Ohio State sophomore K Dominic DiMaccio played together at DeSales High School in Ohio.
- Penn State sophomore QB Sean Clifford and Ohio State seniors LB Justin Hilliard and TE Brock Davin played together at St. Xavier in Cincinnati.
- Penn State redshirt freshman DT Aeneas Hawkins and Ohio State junior TE Jake Hausman played together at Archbishop Moeller in Cincinnati.
- Ohio State assistant head coach/defensive line coach Larry Johnson coached 18 seasons at PSU, serving four years as a defensive ends and special teams coach and 13 years as a defensive line coach.
NINE WINS
- Over the last 15 seasons, Penn State has totaled at least nine wins in 10 seasons, including the last four seasons.
- The Nittany Lions have 18 nine-win seasons since joining the Big Ten in 1993.
- James Franklin has led his teams to nine wins six times in his nine years as a head coach (4 at PSU, 2 at Vanderbilt).
WINNING WAYS
- Penn State is 40-10 over the past four seasons (2016-19), which is tied for the fifth-best record in FBS.
- Dating back to 2015, Penn State has won 30 of its last 33 home games.
- Penn State's 47 wins over the last five years (2015-19) rank tied for ninth in FBS and third in the Big Ten (Ohio State, 58; Wisconsin, 50).
- Penn State's 136 wins over the last 15 years (2005-19) rank tied for 12th in FBS and third in the Big Ten (Ohio State, 168; Wisconsin, 148).
- Penn State clinched its 15th consecutive winning season. The Nittany Lions join Wisconsin, Oklahoma, LSU and Boise State as the only teams with a winning season each of the last 15 years.
- Head coach James Franklin has guided his teams to a winning record each of the last eight seasons (2 at Vanderbilt, 6 at Penn State).
- Since 2016, Franklin's 80.00 percent (40-10) winning percentage ranks third among current FBS coaches behind Clemson's Dabo Swinney 94.44 percent (51-3) and Alabama's Nick Saban 94.34 percent (49-3).
STREAKING
- Sophomore WR KJ Hamler has a reception in all 23 games of his career.
- Hamler has had a catch of 20 or more yards in his last 13 games.
- Sophomore TE Pat Freiermuth has a reception in his last 22 games (all but his first career game).
- QB Sean Clifford has thrown a touchdown pass in his last seven games.
- Penn State has won eight consecutive games at home.
- Penn State has won 10 consecutive games over non-conference opponents during the regular season, dating back to a win over Temple in 2016.
- The Nittany Lions have won 16-straight non-conference regular-season home games, dating back to a win over Kent State in 2013.
- The Nittany Lions have won their last 14 consecutive against their neighbors (schools within 250 miles of Beaver Stadium).
MILESTONE WATCH
- Noah Cain is one touchdown shy of tying the Penn State record for rushing TDs by a freshman (D.J. Dozier, 1983; Saquon Barkley, 2015).
- ... is 150 yards shy of 500 career rushing yards.
- KJ Hamler is 302 yards shy of 3,000 career all-purpose yards.
- ... is 105 yards shy of 1,000 career kickoff return yards.
- ... is 12 receptions shy of 100 career receptions.
- ... is 209 yards shy of 1,000 receiving yards this season.
- Ricky Slade is 123 yards shy of 500 career rushing yards.
- Journey Brown is 465 yards shy of 1,000 career rushing yards.
- Pat Freiermuth is 208 yards shy of 1,000 career receiving yards.
- Sean Clifford is 550 yards shy of 3,000 passing yards this season.
- ... is 984 yards shy of 4,000 career total offense yards.
- ... is six touchdowns shy of 30 career passing TDs.
- ... is 355 yards shy of 3,000 career passing yards.
- Micah Parsons is 42 tackles shy of 200 career tackles.
- Jan Johnson is 14 tackles shy of 150 career tackles.
- Yetur Gross-Matos is 4.0 sacks shy of 20 career sacks.
- Shaka Toney is 3.5 tackles for loss shy of 25 career TFLs.
- ... is 4.5 sacks shy of 20 career sacks.
- Robert Windsor is 6.5 tackles for loss shy of 25 career TFLs.
- ... is 7.0 sacks shy of 20 career sacks.
- Tariq Castro-Fields is 12 tackles shy of 100 career tackles.
- Jake Pinegar is two extra points shy of 100 career XP made.
- ... is 27 points shy of 200 points scored.
- Blake Gillikin is 254 yards shy of 10,000 career punt yards.
MILESTONES ACHIEVED
- Lamont Wade reached 100 career tackles with seven against Indiana.
- Yetur Gross-Matos surpassed 100 career tackles with two against Indiana.
- ... 25 career tackles for loss with a sack against Buffalo.
- Journey Brown surpassed 500 career rushing yards with 100 against Indiana.
- Sean Clifford surpassed 3,000 total offense yards this season with 234 against Indiana.
- ... surpassed 2,000 passing yards this season with 340 passing yards at Minnesota.
- ... surpassed 2,000 career passing yards with 189 passing yards at Michigan State.
- KJ Hamler surpassed 2,500 all-purpose yards with 208 at Minnesota.
- ... 1,000 career receiving yards with a 58-yard touchdown reception at Maryland.
- Jahan Dotson surpassed 500 career receiving yards with a 37-yard reception against Michigan.
- Robert Windsor surpassed 100 career tackles with four against Michigan.
- John Reid made his 100th career tackle against Purdue.
- Pat Freiermuth surpassed 500 career receiving yards with a 16-yard reception vs. Pitt.
- Micah Parsons surpassed 150 career tackles with 11 at Minnesota.
- Garrett Taylor surpassed 100 career tackles with seven tackles - including one on second-and-goal from the 1 in the second quarter - against Pitt.
- Jan Johnson surpassed 100 career tackles with a 14-tackle effort against Buffalo.
ON TV
- Penn State has had 309 of its last 311 games televised, including 195 consecutive games.
- Over the last 15 seasons, every Penn State game has aired on either ABC, FOX, BTN, NBC or an ESPN channel.
- Penn State is appearing on network TV for a sixth consecutive week, marking its longest streak single-season streak in program history.