Being the Buckeye beat’s black sheep blog, we here at Land-Grant Holy Land like to pat ourselves on the back. So, throughout the season, members of our staff will be making predictions about that day’s
game. They will go on the record with what they think the final score will be, who the game’s MVP will be, and what the major storyline will be coming out of the day.
Today, at 1 p.m. ET, the No. 1 Ohio State Buckeyes will go on the road to West Lafayette to face off with the Purdue Boilermakers (2-7). As of the writing of this article, the Buckeyes are 29.5-point favorites, with the total points mark set at 48.5 points. So that means that the Vegas oddsmakers see the game as finishing somewhere in the ballpark of 39-9 in favor of OSU.
Check out what our staff members think and then let us know your thoughts on the game in the comments below. As we move forward with the season, you will be able to keep up with just how well our prognosticators do on a weekly basis HERE.
Michael Citro
Score Prediction: Ohio State 38, Purdue 13
Game MVP: Julian Sayin will keep doing Julian Sayin things and direct another big day for the offense.
Major Storyline: The Buckeyes pass their last road test ahead of The Game.
Alex Frank
Score Prediction: Ohio State 45, Purdue 14
Game MVP: Julian Sayin will continue his excellent performance, going for over 400 yards for the first time in his career. He will end the day 31-for-38 for 424 yards and four touchdowns.
Major Storyline: While Julian Sayin is already officially the Heisman Trophy front-runner in terms of betting odds, after this game, there will be no doubt as to who the leader is.
Joey Gertz
Score Prediction: Ohio State 42, Purdue 7
Game MVP: Jeremiah Smith will be the game MVP as he reels in two touchdowns and 100+ yards for a second straight game.
Major Storyline: Hard to pick a major storyline from a game that I suspect will be a blowout. But, I expect Julian Sayin to have another strong performance and remain atop the Heisman odds.
Justin Golba
Score Prediction: Ohio State 38, Purdue 10
Game MVP: Max Klare will score two touchdowns in his return to Purdue.
Major Storyline: Max Klare will score two touchdowns in his return to Purdue while Julian Sayin throws for four touchdowns and takes a bigger lead in the Heisman race.
Brett Ludwiczak
Score Prediction: Ohio State 38, Purdue 6
Game MVP: Julian Sayin will find former Purdue tight end Max Klare for a pair of touchdowns in his return to West Lafayette.
Major Storyline: Ohio State continues to roll, easily handling the Boilermakers. It’s the type of victory you’d expect in a string of games the Buckeyes will be heavily favored in before The Game at the end of the month.
Gene Ross
Score Prediction: Ohio State 38, Purdue 3
Game MVP: Julian Sayin builds on his Heisman campaign with a five-touchdown game.
Major Storyline: The Buckeyes’ run game still looks pretty average, but the passing game is fully operational to the point that the ground game doesn’t even matter.
Matt Tamanini
Score Prediction: Ohio State 42, Purdue 0
Game MVP: Sayin, Smith, Reese, Styles, Downs, Tate, everybody, take your pick. It will be a near flawless performance from the entire Buckeye squad.
Major Storyline: Ohio State starts revving up its engines to get into “mid-season” form by the time the unofficial postseason begins on Nov. 29 in Ann Arbor.
Ryan Weckstein
Score Prediction: Ohio State 48, Purdue 6
Game MVP: Julian Sayin will continue his Heisman campaign, going 23-for-27 for 315 yards and four touchdowns.
Major Storyline: Ohio State blows through yet another opponent, gearing up for the home stretch.
