ESPN College GameDay 2020: TV Schedule and Predictions for Week 9 Location

For the first time in 2020, ESPN's College GameDay is heading to Happy Valley. And it will be there Saturday for one of the most anticipated Big Ten matchups of the season.

Coming off a season-opening loss to Indiana, No. 18 Penn State immediately faces another tough test when it hosts No. 3 Ohio State at Beaver Stadium. The Buckeyes are entering off a season-opening win over Nebraska.

College GameDay will begin at 9 a.m. ET on ESPN in State College, Pennsylvania, and as with past weeks this season, fans won't be in attendance for the popular college football kickoff show because of the coronavirus pandemic. The Buckeyes and Nittany Lions will then kick off at 7:30 p.m. ET on ABC.

Here's a look at the Top 25 schedule for Week 9, along with predictions for each game, followed by more on the Ohio State-Penn State matchup.

Week 9 Top 25 Schedule, Predictions

Saturday, Oct. 31

Boston College at No. 1 Clemson, noon ET, ABC

No. 5 Georgia at Kentucky, noon ET, SEC Network

Memphis at No. 7 Cincinnati, noon ET, ESPN

Michigan State at No. 13 Michigan, noon ET, Fox

No. 16 Kansas State at West Virginia, noon ET, ESPN2

No. 20 Coastal Carolina at Georgia State, noon ET, ESPNU

No. 23 Iowa State at Kansas, noon ET, Fox Sports 1

No. 4 Notre Dame at Georgia Tech, 3:30 p.m. ET, ABC

No. 17 Indiana at Rutgers, 3:30 p.m. ET, Big Ten Network

Texas at No. 6 Oklahoma State, 4 p.m. ET, Fox

No. 25 Boise State at Air Force, 6 p.m. ET, CBS Sports Network

Mississippi State at No. 2 Alabama, 7 p.m. ET, ESPN

No. 3 Ohio State at No. 18 Penn State, 7:30 p.m. ET, ABC

Arkansas at No. 8 Texas A&M, 7:30 p.m. ET, SEC Network

Missouri at No. 10 Florida, 7:30 p.m. ET, SEC Network Alternate

Navy at No. 22 SMU, 7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN2

No. 15 North Carolina at Virginia, 8 p.m. ET, ACC Network

No. 24 Oklahoma at Texas Tech, 8 p.m. ET, Fox

Western Kentucky at No. 11 BYU, 10:15 p.m. ET, ESPN

Predictions in bold.

Ohio State-Penn State Preview, Prediction

The Big Ten didn't begin its season until Week 8 because of the pandemic, so we haven't had much of an opportunity to watch these teams in 2020.

Ohio State entered the year with a ton of expectations. Last season, the Buckeyes won their first 13 games, which included a victory over Wisconsin in the Big Ten Championship Game, and made the College Football Playoff, where they lost to Clemson in the Fiesta Bowl.

This year, Ohio State is again a CFP contender. Justin Fields was a Heisman Trophy finalist in 2019, and the junior quarterback opened this season by going 20-for-21 for 276 yards and two touchdowns while also rushing for a team-high 54 yards and a score in the Buckeyes' 52-17 home win over Nebraska.

With 491 yards of total offense, Ohio State showed its offense is again going to be tough to stop.

Penn State had a more competitive game in its opener. The Nittany Lions took an eight-point lead with one minute, 42 seconds to go, but Indiana forced overtime with a touchdown and two-point conversion with 22 seconds remaining. Both teams scored touchdowns on their first drives in overtime, but the Hoosiers won 36-35 on a two-point conversion by Michael Penix Jr.

If Penn State falls to 0-2, there's a decent chance it could fall out of the AP Top 25 poll. And with Big Ten teams playing an eight-game schedule, there wouldn't be much time for the Nittany Lions to get back on track.

"I do think the staff and our captains led with the right mentality and approach, and we were able to move on from [the Indiana loss]," Penn State head coach James Franklin told the media ahead of Saturday's game. "You invest so much, you've got to find a way to move on and move on quickly no matter the results. You've got to flush it and move on."

Ohio State has won three straight matchups against Penn State, as well as seven of the past eight meetings between the schools. Still, this is likely to be one of the Buckeyes' more challenging games on their 2020 schedule as they look for another undefeated regular season.

"This team has played us as tough as anybody," Ohio State head coach Ryan Day said on his Thursday radio show on 97.1 The Fan (h/t Bill Rabinowitz of the Columbus Dispatch).

Although this is likely to be a competitive game, expect Fields to again be a difference-maker for Ohio State. His playmaking ability, along with the amount of talent around him on the Buckeyes offense, will be too much for Penn State's defense to stop, just like last year when Ohio State won 28-17.

The Buckeyes' margin of victory will be smaller this season, but they will still end up on top.

Prediction: Ohio State 31, Penn State 27