The No. 4 Ohio State Buckeyes travel to Happy Valley on Saturday night at 7:30 p.m. ET to face the No. 9 Penn State Nittany Lions in a marquee matchup that could have major implications on the College Football Playoff. In the latest Ohio State vs. Penn State odds, the Buckeyes are favored by 3.5 points, while the over-under, or total number of points Vegas thinks will be scored, is 67.5, down 4.5-points from the opening line. In a game that's expected to be an offensive shootout, it's the defenses who could have the final say about the outcome of this matchup. In fact, both defenses are allowing less than 15 points per game over the last three weeks. Before you enter your Ohio State vs. Penn State picks, check out what SportsLine data scientist Stephen Oh has to say.

The renowned co-founder of AccuScore, Oh simulates each game 10,000 times using SportsLine's projection model. Oh is crushing his college football picks in 2018, and he has been extremely impressive when the Nittany Lions or Buckeyes are involved. He's on a 7-0 run picking Penn State games and has hit on eight of nine Ohio State contests. That's a 15-1 combined record on spread picks for or against each team. Anyone who has followed him is up big.

Now, he has crunched the numbers and generated a strong point-spread selection for Saturday's Ohio State vs. Penn State showdown. It's only available over at SportsLine. 

Oh knows Buckeyes sophomore Dwayne Haskins had huge shoes to fill after replacing three-time All-Big Ten QB JT Barrett. But Haskins has picked up where Barrett left off. The Heisman contender has completed 75.7 percent of his passes for 1,194 yards, 16 TDs and just one INT.

Ohio State's explosive offense features a plethora of weapons for Haskins. In fact, four wideouts have at least 200 yards receiving this season. Opposing defenses also have to account for the Buckeyes' ground game, which is averaging 233 yards per contest and more than 5.4 yards per carry.

Ohio State's defense has also hounded opposing QBs, accounting for 15 sacks and four INTs. However, Nick Bosa, the team leader with four sacks, will not play Saturday night after undergoing surgery following an injury against TCU.

But just because Ohio State has been dominant thus far doesn't mean it will cover on the road against a Penn State team that also features an explosive offense and is also ranked in the top 10.

Penn State needed overtime to edge Appalachian State in its season-opener, but the Nittany Lions have taken nothing for granted since. Against Pittsburgh, Kent State and Illinois, the Lions have racked up an average of 59 points, with a margin of victory of 45.7 per game.

The Nittany Lions have pounded defenses through the air and on the ground, averaging 275 yards passing and 240 yards rushing. Senior quarterback Trace McSorley has 763 yards passing with eight touchdowns against just two interceptions.

Penn State's defense has also been solid this season. In fact, the Nittany Lions are allowing just 173 passing yards per game, which ranks 29th in the nation.

Oh has analyzed this matchup from every possible angle and while we can tell you he's leaning under, he has discovered a crucial x-factor that makes one side of the spread a must-back. He's only sharing his pick over at SportsLine.

Who covers Ohio State-Penn State? And what crucial x-factor decides the spread outcome? Visit SportsLine now to see which side you need to jump all over Saturday, all from the data scientist who's an amazing 15-1 on picks involving these two teams.