Ohio State football: Confidence level against Penn State

The X Factor Confidence Level – 7

This is the biggest home game on Ohio State’s schedule. There is no Michigan, no Notre Dame, or even a Wisconsin on this home schedule this season. So, this has become the biggest sporting event ticket in Columbus, Ohio for the football season. That being said, this is a huge game for the Buckeye fans.

The Ohio State Athletic Department announced early on that this is a “scarlet game,” for the fans, meaning they want to see all of Ohio State fans wearing their scarlet on Saturday. Gene Smith asked that all fans get to The Shoe and in their seats early so that when kickoff comes at 12 noon, all 105,000-plus will be in their seats and ready to be loud.

It will be crucial that on third down, Penn State feels a hostile environment. I was in attendance in 2017 when the Ohio State football team had its incredible come-from-behind victory over Penn State. On third downs in the second half, the Shoe got so loud that it felt like the stadium was vibrating. That is the kind of environment that Ryan Day and the Buckeyes will be looking for on Saturday.

Obviously, Penn State will look to take the crowd out of it early. Ohio State can’t afford to have a sleepy start to this one. As long as Ohio State doesn’t allow Penn State to get out to a big lead, I expect this crowd to be the loudest that Drew Allar and this Penn State team will have to face this season. For the first time, and maybe the only time this year, I believe the X-factor in a game will be the crowd, and thankfully for us, it will be to our advantage.

My confidence level in our fanbase being an advantage is a seven, and that is why I believe Ohio State will get the win on Saturday.