Penn State vs. Ohio State 2016: Start time, live stream, TV schedule, and 3 things to know

The season isn’t on the line at Beaver Stadium on Saturday. It’s Penn State’s annual whiteout game, and No. 2 Ohio State’s in town for a prime-time meeting.

The expectation here is that Ohio State will win, and the Buckeyes will keep marching undefeated toward Michigan, while Penn State will keep beating the teams it’s supposed to beat and losing to the teams it isn’t.

That’s how it’s been for James Franklin in Happy Valley, where he’s 0-7 against Ohio State, Michigan, and Michigan State. Now that the Spartans have faded , the Buckeyes are Franklin’s last shot to beat someone substantial this year, at least until a bowl.

Ohio State could suffer an upset this week and still move forward. As long as the Buckeyes don’t lose any other games, a win against Michigan would still surely put them in the Big Ten’s championship game, and a win there would get them to the College Football Playoff. All their marbles aren’t in this basket.

But don’t tell that to Urban Meyer. He’ll want to win as much as Franklin does.

How to watch, stream, and listen

TV: 8 p.m. ET, ABC. The broadcasters are Chris Fowler, Kirk Herbstreit, and Sam Ponder.

Stream: WatchESPN

Radio: Ohio State and Penn State

Odds: The Buckeyes opened as 20-point favorites. The line had been shrinking, slightly.

Make friends: Check out SB Nation’s team blog chats: Land-Grant Holy Land (for Buckeyes fans) and Black Shoe Diaries (for Penn Staters).

Three big things to know

1. To state the obvious, Penn State probably can’t win. Ohio State is no guarantee to win every week, but the Buckeyes are so much better than everyone they’ll play except for Michigan that a loss in any given game, other than that one, is hard to predict. The Buckeyes are solidly elite on both sides of the ball, and a lot needs to go wrong on their end for Penn State to even have a chance to capitalize.
2. If Penn State’s going to win, Saquon Barkley’s going to have a huge night. Ohio State isn’t brilliant defending the run, and the Buckeyes have had particular trouble in allowing explosive plays from the backfield. The Penn State sophomore is one of the country’s best speed backs, and if he can get loose, it’ll open things up considerably for quarterback Trace McSorley. (The quarterback is, himself, a talented runner, though he’s not nearly the big-play threat Barkley is.)
3. On the other hand, Ohio State’s running game is nearly impossible to stop. The Buckeyes don’t rip off many huge carries, but they’re numbingly efficient when they stay on the ground. Primary back Mike Weber averages 6.5 yards per attempt, while quarterback J.T. Barrett does 5.3 and speed back Curtis Samuel 456. Stopping the three of them from wreaking havoc on any given night is a tall order. Penn State’s run defense springs plenty of leaks, and the Ohio State ball-carriers could do big numbers.