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Ohio State vs Purdue predictions, picks, odds. Who wins Week 11 college football game?
Ohio State football is set to take on Purdue at Ross-Ade Stadium on Nov. 7.
The Buckeyes received the No. 1 ranking in the College Football Playoff committee’s rankings on Nov. 4. Ohio State is 8-0 and ranks a spot higher than Indiana, also undefeated and projected to play the Buckeyes in the Big Ten championship game.
Purdue kept it close against Michigan, but the Boilermakers lost 21-16, falling to 2-7 overall and 0-6 in the Big Ten.
Here’s what Dispatch writers think will happen in the Ohio State-Purdue football game:
Stream Ohio State vs. Purdue
Ohio State vs. Purdue odds, money line, over/under
Odds courtesy of BetMGM (As of Nov. 7)
- Spread: Ohio State by 29.5
- Over/under: 48.5
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Ohio State vs. Purdue predictions
Joey Kaufman, Columbus Dispatch: Ohio State 45, Purdue 3. While the Boilermakers are rebuilding under first-year coach Barry Odom and remain winless in the Big Ten, they have been more competitive this year. The average margin of their six conference losses is just 11 points, and three of the last four have been by one score or less. But a season-ending ankle injury to star running back Devin Mockobee only adds to the plate of Ryan Browne, who has thrown the second-most interceptions among Big Ten quarterbacks. It won’t be much different than last year’s game in Columbus, though Purdue can avoid being shut out.
Rob Oller, Columbus Dispatch: Ohio State 48, Purdue 7. The Boilermakers have not won a Big Ten game since beating Indiana in the finale of the 2023 regular season, going 1-15 over that stretch. Over the same span, the Buckeyes have gone 12-3. So you’re saying there’s a chance? Never say never, but, er, never. Purdue is better than a year ago, and actually has been competitive in three of its last four games, including a 21-16 loss at Michigan, but Ohio State has too many weapons on both sides of the ball for this to be anything other than an OSU “name your score.”
Dan Aulbach, Columbus Dispatch: Ohio State 42, Purdue 3. Though the final score predictions are starting to sound like a broken record, Ohio State should have no problem this weekend at Ross-Ade Stadium with a passing offense on a roll and two Heisman campaigns underway for Julian Sayin and Jeremiah Smith.
Ohio State vs. Purdue scouting report: What we’re watching
Joey Kaufman: The week that Ohio State began formally pushing quarterback Julian Sayin and wide receiver Jeremiah Smith as candidates for the Heisman Trophy is well-timed with an afternoon that could allow them to pad their stats. Purdue allows 8.7 yards per pass attempt, ranking 128th out of 136 teams in the Football Bowl Subdivision, and only Marshall has surrendered more completions of 40 or more yards. As long as the weather in West Lafayette cooperates, Sayin and Smith could put up some video game-type numbers.
Rob Oller: A better than 50% chance of rain is forecast for Saturday’s game in West Lafayette. If the heavens open on the Buckeyes, it’s possible Ohio State will lean into trying to improve its running game, which is about the only facet of the team that has come under question. Then again, I’m not sure even a slippery, wet football would be enough to squelch a passing attack that licks its chops knowing Purdue’s pass defense ranks 16th in the Big Ten in passing yards allowed.
Dan Aulbach: Ohio State has scored a touchdown on its opening drive the past two games. Not only have the Buckeyes started quickly on offense, but Julian Sayin continues to air the ball downfield with precision to get the offense to the red zone quickly. I’m interested to see how aggressively Ohio State wants to get a big lead on the road against Purdue, and if they grab an early lead, will the leading Heisman candidate continue to take deep shots for the entire contest?
Julian Sayin has a 400-yard game
Joey Kaufman: After he was just 7 yards shy of throwing for 400 yards at Wisconsin three weeks ago, Sayin will have the opportunity to reach that mark against another Big Ten cellar dweller as Purdue remains prone to giving up big plays through the air. Even if the Boilermakers are in prevent mode after Penn State was beaten over the top, Sayin has too many weapons not to carve them up. He’ll be the first Buckeyes quarterback since C.J. Stroud to have a 400-yard passing game.
Buckeyes’ rushing yards surpass passing yards
Rob Oller: Conventional wisdom says Ohio State will go pass-happy against the Boilermakers to pad the stats of Heisman candidates Julian Sayin and Jeremiah Smith, but from a team preparation standpoint the Buckeyes need to get their ground game up and running, so the final stats will show more run yards than passing yards, which has not happened since Nov. 12, 2022 against Indiana (340 run, 322 pass), which also was the last time OSU topped 300 yards rushing.
Jeremiah Smith scores 3 touchdowns
Dan Aulbach: It’s Heisman candidacy season, and while Sayin leads the betting odds for the trophy, expect Jeremiah Smith to start running up the stat sheet. Look for the Buckeyes to get creative on offense to get No. 4 to the end zone multiple times. A three-touchdown game would certainly turn some heads in the Heisman race.ual improvement in his maturity as Ohio State’s quarterback. Though on the road against a weaker opponent, the redshirt freshman showed once more his accuracy is irreplicable and I fully expect his completion percentage to remain atop the FBS.
After years of unchecked dominance from the SEC, the Big Ten Conference cemented its place as the best in college football in the 2025-2026 season.
The Indiana Hoosiers completed a remarkable 16-0 season by winning a National Championship, beating Ohio State in the conference championship game, dominating Alabama in the Rose Bowl, then blowing out Oregon in the College Football Playoff semifinal.
That completed a Big Ten trifecta, with the Michigan Wolverines winning a championship in 2024, then the Buckeyes following it up by beating Notre Dame to win the title in 2025. While the SEC might have better depth overall, it’s no question that the top of the Big Ten is as good or better than anyone.
SEC, BIG TEN ARE DOMINATING COLLEGE FOOTBALL THANKS TO MASSIVE ADVANTAGES OVER OTHER CONFERENCES
Indiana Hoosiers head coach Curt Cignetti after defeating the Miami Hurricanes in the College Football Playoff National Championship game at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida on Jan. 19, 2026. (Mark J. Rebilas/Imagn Images)
And a new program might be ready to take their turn at the top of the Big Ten: those same Oregon Ducks.
One of the most predictive measures of a team’s strength from year to year is how much production they return from the previous season. It makes sense; the more key players that stay with the team, the better it is for continuity and development.
The Big Ten, oddly enough, has several teams that return much of their production on both sides of the ball. ESPN’s Bill Connelly ran the numbers, finding that teams like Maryland, Nebraska, Minnesota and UCLA all ranked in the top 10 nationally in returning value. Though given how these teams played in 2025, that’s less important. Number 12, though? The Oregon Ducks.
And that carryover production is coming from a team that lost just two games all season, both to Indiana. They handled a very good USC team, 42-27, overcame miserable conditions to outlast the Iowa Hawkeyes on the road, beat the rival Washington Huskies, and most impressively, shut out an elite Texas Tech team 23-0 in the College Football Playoff. And they bring back the players responsible for 66% of their overall production, including star quarterback Dante Moore.
Oregon Ducks quarterback Dante Moore (5) warms up prior to the 2025 Orange Bowl and College Football Playoff quarterfinal against the Texas Tech Red Raiders at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Fla. (Sam Navarro / Imagn Images)
Just behind them at 65%? USC, heading into a pivotal season under Lincoln Riley.
Here’s where Oregon has the advantage, however. They bring that percentage back from a team that was significantly better than USC. It’s no surprise then, that per Connelly’s SP+ projections, Oregon is expected to be the No. 2 team in the country, by efficiency on offense, defense and special teams.
IF YOU’RE LOOKING FOR A BIG 12 WINNER NOT NAMED TEXAS TECH OR BYU, CONSIDER THE HOUSTON COUGARS
What about the other Big Ten schools, though?
USC is the biggest wildcard. They sit at No. 13 in the SP+ projections, thanks to an elite offense and a defense that’s expected to be solid, if unspectacular. But their special teams projections are all the way down at No. 100 in the country, thanks to a series of disastrous mistakes in 2025. Special teams, though, should be the easiest area to improve upon. So if the Trojans can make some adjustments, they could exceed the eight game win expectancy.
Ohio State and Indiana, the two most recent champions, have a bit of a tougher hill to climb, though their roster composition is far from disastrous. The Buckeyes bring back 60% of their production, while Indiana is at 56%, even with several huge departures. That ranks at No. 31 and No. 52, respectively. Important, but not enough to push either team out of the top 5 in the national projections. And Ohio State sits at No. 1, thanks to consistently elite recruiting and key players like Julian Sayin and Jeremiah Smith returning.
Oregon head coach Dan Lanning attends Oregon Pro Day on March 17, 2026, at the Moshofsky Center in Eugene, Oregon. (Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)
But if there is an upset brewing at the top of the conference, Oregon might be the place to look. The question then becomes, can they put it all together against a difficult schedule? The Ducks play USC on the road, host Nebraska, travel to Illinois, play Ohio State on the road, host Michigan and have their rivalry game against Washington at Autzen.
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It won’t be easy, but don’t be surprised if at the end of the season, Dan Lanning and the Ducks are right back in the mix.
A Kentucky woman who had been missing for more than two weeks was found dead in her vehicle in Ohio, authorities said.
The body of Debra Wireman was found in her vehicle on July 3 in Clermont County, Ohio, the Flemingsburg Police Department in Kentucky said on Facebook on Wednesday. Investigators were called to the scene after a report identifying the vehicle as belonging to a missing person, police said. The remains were identified as Wireman’s by the Clermont County Coroner’s Office on July 7, according to law enforcement.
Police in Kentucky said the Clermont County Sheriff’s Office in Ohio is investigating the woman’s death. No additional information will be released by Flemingsburg police “out of respect for Debra’s family and the integrity of that investigation.”
“While this is not the outcome any of us hoped and prayed for, we are thankful that Debra has been found and that her family can now begin to receive the closure they deserve,” police added on Facebook.
Wireman, according to police, was last seen on June 17 at around 4:30 p.m. in Aberdeen, Ohio, while traveling toward Maysville, Kentucky. She was driving a white 2020 Kia Forte with front-end damage. Police said family and friends were “concerned for her welfare.”
“The overwhelming response from our community, neighboring agencies, the media, and countless individuals across the region demonstrated the very best of people coming together in the hope of bringing someone home safely,” Flemingsburg police said.
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WSYX) — Central Ohio has a new option for late-night sweets.
Jeff’s Donuts opened its first Ohio location Wednesday morning at 5717 N. Hamilton Road, between Gahanna and New Albany.
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The shop will be open 24 hours.
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