Scouting: Ohio State vs. Penn State

No. 8 Ohio State (8-1, 4-1 Big Ten) vs Penn State (6-3, 3-2), 3:30 p.m. (ABC/ESPN)

Line: Ohio State by 18

Series Record: Ohio State leads 13-12

Last Meeting: 2009, Ohio State 24-7.

WHAT'S AT STAKE

Ohio State, one of four teams with one loss in Big Ten play, needs to win out to retain a shot at a sixth consecutive title and a BCS berth. The Nittany Lions, with a couple dozen freshmen and sophomores, have won three in a row and can make their season with a major upset.

KEY MATCHUP

Sophomore Matt McGloin, a former walk-on, gets the start at QB for Penn State. He'll face pressure from an Ohio State line coming off its best game of the year two weeks ago at Minnesota, when it had five sacks and forced three turnovers in a 52-10 win.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Penn State: LBs Michael Mauti, Chris Colasanti and Bani Gbadyu lead a defense that seems to be regaining its footing. DL Pete Massaro, Ollie Ogbu, Devon Still and Jordan Hill still must stop the run to force Ohio State's hand.

Ohio State: QB Terrelle Pryor lost his only home game as a starter the last time the Nittany Lions came to town two years ago. Pryor, a Pennsylvania native, did little more than hand the ball off to Brandon Saine and Dan "Boom" Herron a year ago in the Buckeyes' 24-7 victory. This time he's itching to show the people back home he can also run and throw it.

FACTS & FIGURES

The game pits the two active coaches with the most wins in Division I: Penn State's Joe Paterno with 400 and Ohio State's Jim Tressel with 237. ... This is the 15th meeting between Football Bowl Subdivision coaches with at least 200 wins in Division I; it's the fourth time Paterno and Tressel have met under those circumstances. ... The Buckeyes, idle last week, are 2-4 under Tressel in games after a bye. ... The Lions' Evan Royster had 134 yards rushing and freshman Silas Redd added 131 in last week's win over Northwestern.