Ohio State vs. Penn State Week 9 college football odds: Bettors all over Buckeyes in crucial Big Ten ranked showdown

Week 9 of the college football season gets off to a spectacular start at noon ET at Happy Valley as No. 2 Ohio State visits No. 13 Penn State – easily the Buckeyes' toughest road game of the season (they only play four of them). Ohio State is a 15.5-point favorite at Caesars Sportsbook and is taking massive betting action.

Coach Ryan Day's team has received the most tickets and money at the book to cover the spread among all teams playing in Week 9. Ohio State opened at -14 but has risen 1.5 points after taking 70.8% of the tickets and 86.4% of the handle.

"Penn State couldn't hang with Michigan, and Ohio State is even better than Michigan," said Joey Feazel, lead college football trader at Caesars Sportsbook. "At least they're playing at Beaver Stadium, but I think all this action comes down to the public's lack of faith in Sean Clifford and him being able to compete with this monstrous Ohio State offense. Usually with a double-digit spread when two ranked teams go up against one another, you'll see the majority of the bets on the underdog. I can see why this isn't the case here because Ohio State is just a different beast. We're hoping for a close game with the public seeing this one as a blowout."

Last year in Columbus, the Buckeyes were -18.5 and won 33-24 as C.J. Stroud threw for 305 yards and a score. Stroud is the +100 Heisman favorite for this year. He leads the FBS in passing efficiency (203.9) and passing touchdowns (28).

Three of the last six games in the series have been decided by three or fewer points, with two by just one point.

The team taking the second-most spread action at the book on Saturday is also from the Big Ten: Unranked Michigan State at unbeaten and No. 4 Michigan, which is the ABC prime-time game. This will be just the second time in the 114-game history of the rivalry that the game will be played at night. The first was five years ago, on Oct. 5, 2017.

The Spartans are 22.5-point underdogs but have taken 70.2% of the tickets and 80.8% of the handle on the spread. In addition, Michigan State at +1050 also has secured the most moneyline bets of any team in Week 9.

"I think a lot of the underdog action on Michigan State is just because it's a rivalry game," Feazel said. "Maybe it's also because JJ McCarthy hasn't been as good as Blake Corum, and if Michigan relies heavily on the ground game then Michigan State can definitely stay within that three-touchdown range. Michigan State has won the last two head-to-head. They haven't been that impressive at all this year, the only thing was their last game when they beat Minnesota. So it's surprising to me to see all the action on Michigan State."

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