The Ohio State football team has a history of getting upset in West Lafayette by an unranked Purdue team. In 2018, it was a house of horrors for the Buckeyes. They went into that game as the second-ranked team in the country and got smacked around by the underdog Boilermakers.
Ryan Day was on staff when that game was being played. He understands completely that his Ohio State Buckeyes will need to be on full alert, even if Purdue is playing like the worst team in the Big Ten Conference. Day has done a good job of trying to keep his team from hearing all of the good things being said about them.
In every game this season but one, the Buckeyes have been able to cover the spread. The one time they weren't was against Ohio. That means that not only has Ohio State been winning these games, but they have been crushing teams. Will they do that again on Saturday afternoon?
Ohio State football team vs. Purdue: Final odds and predictions
According to DraftKings, the Buckeyes are 29.5-point favorites against the Boilermakers. Perhaps the only reason why it isn't a larger margin is the fact that the Boilermakers kept Michigan from pulling away last week, only falling to the Wolverines by just five points.
That shouldn't be an issue for the Buckeyes, especially with how good their defense is. Ohio State is good enough that Purdue is going to struggle greatly to move the ball.
Final prediction: Ohio State football 42 Purdue 3
It's just hard to see how the Boilermakers are going to be able to move the ball with any consistency. It seems unlikely that they are going to be able to move it enough to get into the end zone. On the flip side, Ohio State's offense is too good to be stopped against a defense that just isn't very good.
Julian Sayin had a field day against both Wisconsin and Penn State in each of their last two games. There's no reason he shouldn't have a similar output against this Boilermaker team. There's a chance that he throws for 300+ yards and four touchdowns in this one.
Ohio State should be able to walk out of West Lafayette with another win. Anything less than a blowout win would be shocking for this game. That's how much better Ohio State is than this Purdue team.