Where Brent Venables, Lincoln Riley fall on the CFB hot seat list | Before The Snap
Midway through the college football season, coaches’ seats are heating up. Where do Oklahoma’s Brent Venables and USC’s Lincoln Riley stand?
Week 10 of the college football season will culminate in a must-see Big Ten showdown between the Ohio State Buckeyes and the Penn State Nittany Lions. This game, which kicks off Saturday’s action, is hugely important, with the Buckeyes on a quest to avoid a second loss, and the Nittany Lions focused on staying undefeated.
No. 3 Penn State has a perfect 7-0 record after defeating Wisconsin 28-13 in Week 9. Nittany Lions starting quarterback Drew Allar suffered a left knee injury in the first half of the game against Wisconsin forcing him to exit. Sophomore backup Beau Pribula replaced Allar and completed 11 of 13 passes with a touchdown, helping secure the victory. The uncertainty of Allar’s availability for the upcoming game against Ohio State adds unpredictability to this highly anticipated matchup.
No. 4 Ohio State faced a challenging game against Nebraska in Week 9, narrowly winning 21-17. Despite the victory, the Buckeyes’ performance fell short of expectations following their loss to Oregon two weeks earlier. Quarterback Will Howard played a key role in securing the much-needed win, throwing for 221 yards along with three touchdowns and one interception.
USA TODAY Sports will provide the latest updates, highlights, wild plays, analysis and more throughout the game. Follow along.
Penn State cuts the lead to four points after kicker Ryan Barker nails a 44-yard field goal. The Buckeyes now lead 17-13 with 5:03 left in the third quarter.
The Buckeyes add three points as Jayden Fielding kicks a 46-yard field goal, extending Ohio State’s lead to 17-10 against Penn State to start the third quarter.
Quarterback Drew Allar gets the Nittany Lions moving with a 15-yard run, advancing to Ohio State’s 23-yard line for a first down. Allar then completes a 20-yard pass to Harrison Wallace III, bringing the team to the three-yard line. However, the drive ultimately ends with a turnover when the Buckeye’s Igbinosun intercepts the ball in the end zone, resulting in a touchback.
Quarterback Will Howard attempted to capitalize on the Buckeye’s momentum by connecting with Quishon Judkins for a seven-yard gain, bringing them within the Penn State 23-yard line. Following that run, Buckeyes running back TreVeyon Henderson rushes for 11 yards, getting them inside the PSU 13-yard line. However, an attempted touchdown run by Howard results in a fumble, leading to a touchback for Penn State, who then takes possession of the ball.
Quarterback Will Howard energized the offense in the second quarter, connecting with Brandon Inniss for a 21-yard touchdown. This score gave the Buckeyes their first lead of the game, with Ohio State now leading Penn State 14-10 in the second quarter.
At the end of the first exciting quarter, the Penn State Nittany Lions lead the Ohio State Buckeyes 10-7.
The Buckeyes quickly responded to a shaky start by scoring on a seven-play drive. Quarterback Will Howard passes to Emeka Egbuka for a 25-yard touchdown, getting Ohio State on the board. Penn State leads 10-7 in the final minutes of the first quarter.
Ohio State tried to advance on third down, but Penn State’s Zion Tracy intercepted the ball and scored a 31-yard touchdown. The Nittany Lions now lead 10-0 late in the first quarter.
Penn State started the game with the ball at Happy Valley, and quarterback Drew Allar came out strong despite being questionable for today’s matchup due to an injury sustained in Week 9. Although Allar put in a good effort, he couldn’t find the end zone. Kicker Ryan Barker stepped up and successfully kicked a 26-yard field goal, putting the Nittany Lions on the board first.
When is Ohio State-Penn State game?
Kickoff is Saturday, Nov. 2 at noon ET from Beaver Stadium in University Park, Pennsylvania.
How to watch Ohio State vs. Penn State, TV and Streaming info
- Date: Saturday, Nov. 2
- Time: 12 p.m. ET
- TV: Fox
- Stream: Fubo, YouTube TV
- Location: Beaver Stadium (University Park, Pennsylvania)
Catch Ohio State vs. Penn State and more college football with Fubo
Here are the kickoff times and TV info for Top 25 teams in the US LBM Coaches Poll. (All times are Eastern):
- Air Force at No. 21 Army, CBS, noon
- No. 25 Memphis at UTSA, ESPN2, noon
- No. 18 Ole Miss at Arkansas, ESPN, noon
- Duke at No. 5 Miami (FL), ABC, noon
- Minnesota at No. 25 Illinois, FS1, noon
- No. 4 Ohio State at No. 3 Penn State, FOX, noon
- Florida at No. 2 Georgia, ABC, 3:30 p.m.
- No. 15 Kansas State at Houston, FOX, 3:30 p.m.
- Texas Tech at No. 10 Iowa State, 3:30 p.m.
- No. 13 Indiana at Michigan, Peacock, 3:30 p.m.
- No 1. Oregon at Michigan, CBS, 3:30 p.m.
- No. 11 Texas A&M at South Carolina, ABC, 7:30 p.m.
- Louisville at No. 8 Clemson, ESPN, 7:30 p.m.
- Kentucky at No. 7 Tennessee, SEC Network, 7:45 p.m.
- No. 17 Pittsburgh at No. 20 SMU, ACC Network, 8:00 p.m.
Here are USA TODAY Sports’ expert picks for all of Saturday’s ranked Week 10 games.
The Ohio State Buckeyes are favorites to defeat the Penn State Nittany Lions in Saturday’s college football matchup, according to the BetMGM college football odds. Looking to wager? Check out the top college football betting apps in 2024 offering the top NCAA football betting promos and bonuses in 2024.
- Spread: Ohio State (-3)
- Moneyline: Ohio State (-155); Penn State (+135)
- Over/under: 46.5
ESPN’s “College GameDay” will be broadcasting from University Park for the matchup between Ohio State and Penn State in Week 10. This marks Ohio State’s second appearance on “College GameDay” this season; their first was against Oregon on Oct. 12, when they suffered a narrow 32-31 defeat against the Ducks, marking their first loss of the season.
The Ohio State Buckeyes have played against the Penn State Nittany Lions a total of 31 times since their first matchup in 1993. Ohio State leads the all-time series with a 23-8 record, and the Buckeyes have an away record of 9-6 against Penn State.
In their most recent encounter in 2023, Ohio State won the game 20-12 in Columbus, Ohio.
The biggest matchup of Week 10 is also one of the most significant games of the entire season. No. 3 Penn State will host No. 4 Ohio State, with both teams in urgent need of a victory to keep their College Football Playoff and national title aspirations alive.
Dan Wolken and Paul Myerberg of USA TODAY Sports explore these topics and more in this week’s edition of the College Football Fix.
Week 10 features two matchups between ranked opponents. One of these is a highly anticipated battle between top-five contenders that has been on everyone’s radar since the start of the season. The other is an unexpected showdown between two top-20 teams in the ACC. Additionally, there are several other significant games happening across all the power conferences. Here are the must-watch Week 10 games. — Eddie Timanus
The US LBM Coaches Poll for Week 10 is out after some unexpected results last week, and the top five looks slightly different from the preseason version. Here is how the top-25 shapes out ahead of Saturday’s action. — Eddie Timanus
The final full month of the season is where business picks up for the contenders, and the pressure to win can lead to unexpected results. There’s sure to be more changes ahead and here is a look of the College Football Bowl Projections ahead of Week 10’s Saturday’s action. — Erick Smith
Pat McAfee took a shot at Fox’s “Big Noon Kickoff,” which was doing its show not too far from the ESPN set.
“This is a town that has a history with these games, but this year, there’s a different energy in the air,” McAfee announced to the crowd. “This year, this game — they’re cheering now. We’ll see how this goes. This game is not at night. It’s a Big Noon Kickoff.”
Penn State and Ohio State swap spots in this week’s USA TODAY Sports NCAA Re-Rank 1-134 heading into Saturday’s colossal Big Ten matchup in Happy Valley. — Paul Myerberg
The first year of the 12-team College Football Playoff era was already going to have a whole lot of unknowns, since nothing like it has ever been attempted in college football’s top division. The advent of mega conferences with 16 to 18 members and no divisions adds even more random elements into the equation. Indeed, it might not take long for league officials to decide that maybe the way conference champs are chosen might need rethinking, especially given the weight the playoff format places on conference championships for seeding purposes. — Eddie Timanus
The experts at USA TODAY Sports offer predictions for the season ahead, including which 12 teams will make the College Football Playoff. Who wins the national championship?
- Scooby Axson: Ohio State
- Jordan Mendoza: Oregon
- Paul Myerberg: Georgia
- Erick Smith: Georgia
- Eddie Timanus: Ohio State
- Dan Wolken: Ohio State
In the 2024-25 season, 12 teams will qualify for the College Football Playoff. The top five conference champions will earn automatic bids, thereby securing the top five seeds. The remaining seven highest-ranked teams will complete the 12-team field.
The new 12-team College Football Playoff will consist of four conference champions, who will secure bids one through four. The top four teams will receive a first-round bye, advancing directly to the quarterfinals. The eight remaining ranked teams will also earn spots in the 5-12 team bracket and play on the home field of the higher-ranked team.
The first of six College Football Playoff Top 25 rankings will be released on Nov. 5, after Week 10 games.
- Date: Tuesday, Nov. 5
- Time: 7-8 p.m. ET
- TV: ESPN
- Stream: Fubo
Watch the CFP Rankings Show on ESPN with a Fubo subscription
Here is the schedule for the College Football Playoff Ranking Show. All times are in Eastern Time:
- Ranking 1: Tuesday, Nov. 5 at 7-8 p.m.
- Ranking 2: Tuesday, Nov. 12 at 8:30-9 p.m.
- Ranking 3: Tuesday, Nov. 19 at 7-8 p.m.
- Ranking 4: Tuesday, Nov. 26 at 8-9 p.m.
- Ranking 5: Tuesday, Dec. 3 at 7-7:30 p.m.
- Selection Day: Sunday, Dec. 8 at noon-4 p.m.
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