Purdue Boilermakers vs. Ohio State Buckeyes Pick & Prediction NOVEMBER 9th 2024

Preview and Prediction

Purdue University has had an impressive record of five wins over Ohio State since the turn of the century. These victories, including a historic upset in 2018, all share one common factor - they were played in West Lafayette, Indiana.

Unfortunately for the struggling Boilermakers (1-7, 0-5 Big Ten), they will not have the luxury of playing at home when they face the Buckeyes in Columbus this Saturday. Ohio State, currently ranked No. 2 in the season's first College Football Playoff rankings, will prove to be a formidable opponent for Purdue.

In the inaugural CFP poll in 2014, Ohio State was ranked 16th due to a home loss against Virginia Tech. However, the Buckeyes went on to defeat Oregon in the national title game two months later.

This season, the Buckeyes (7-1, 4-1) have their sights set on the same destination after a 20-13 victory against No. 6 Penn State last Saturday. This win puts them on a clear path to the Big Ten title game and a potential rematch against No. 1 Oregon, who narrowly defeated Ohio State 32-31 on October 12th.

In order to reach their goal, Ohio State must win their remaining four regular-season games, starting with Purdue. They cannot afford to slip up against the Boilermakers before facing Northwestern (at Wrigley Field), No. 8 Indiana, and their rival Michigan, all in Columbus.

Head coach Ryan Day made it clear that the team's focus is solely on Purdue, stating, "No matter what happened in the previous game, it's in the past. The only rankings that matter are the ones at the end of the year."

Purdue coach Ryan Walters is well aware that his team is the underdog heading into their game at Ohio Stadium, where they have not won since 1988. However, he hopes to draw inspiration from their upset victory against the second-ranked Buckeyes in 2014, albeit in a home game.

"It will be a big challenge," Walters said. "We are looking forward to playing in such a historic venue like Ohio State and competing against the best. This is why we play in this conference and why we chose to come to Purdue - to compete against some of the top teams in the country."

Unfortunately for the Boilermakers, their recent matchups against Ohio State in 2023 and 2021 have not been as successful, with the Buckeyes outscoring them 100-38. It is likely that another lopsided defeat is on the horizon.

Purdue has struggled against FBS opponents this season, being outscored 295-113 after their season-opening win against Indiana State from the FCS. This, combined with the fact that Ohio State has numerous future NFL players on their roster, does not bode well for the Boilermakers.

Walters acknowledged the talent of the Buckeyes, stating, "Their entire team is extremely talented. When you combine that with the level of coaching at Ohio State, it's no surprise why they are such a dominant team."

Ohio State's quarterback Will Howard has thrown for 1,977 yards and 19 touchdowns this season, with Emeka Egbuka and Jeremiah Smith as his top receivers.

The Buckeyes will look to build off their strong performance against Penn State, where they denied the Nittany Lions a potential game-tying touchdown in the final minutes. They then ran out the clock with a series of 11 straight runs, securing the win.

However, Day is not dwelling on their previous game and is fully focused on the upcoming matchup against Purdue. He warned his team against being distracted by their previous success, stating, "Purdue's offense is playing well. If our guys think they can just show up and win, they're wrong. The Boilermakers are a much better team than their record shows."

PREDICTION

Purdue Boilermakers

Ohio State Buckeyes