Ohio State-Penn State, Oklahoma State-Kansas State: CFB Week 9 by the numbers

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No. 2 Ohio State will see if it can continue to roll through its season Saturday with its biggest challenge to date, a difficult road contest at No. 13 Penn State on FOX Big Noon Kickoff.

The undefeated Buckeyes boast nation's second-best scoring offense, averaging just a shade under 50 points per game. But quarterback C.J. Stroud will be facing a Nittany Lions defense that has held three of its opponents to a completion percentage of less than 50% this season.

In other action, No. 9 Oklahoma State travels to The Little Apple for a key Big 12 showdown at No. 22 Kansas State, also on FOX. 

Here are the key stats to know for the marquee matchups in Week 9.

THURSDAY

No. 14 Utah (5-2) at Washington State (4-3)
10 p.m. ET on FS1 and the FOX Sports app

3: Utah has won three straight vs. Washington State and leads the all-time series 10-9, though Utah’s last win at Washington State was in 2011 (lost the last two).

4: The Utes have only lost four Pac-12 road games since 2019.

40.7: Utah ranks 11th in the FBS in scoring offense, averaging 40.7 points per game. The Utes are 20-1 in regular season Pac-12 games when they score 40 or more points.

52: Washington State enters the week with a league-best 52 tackles-for-loss. The Cougars are third in the league with 20 sacks.

20.7: The Cougars enter the week leading the Pac-12 in scoring defense (20.7).

20: Washington State has yet to win a game when allowing 20 or more points this season (0-3). The Cougars are 4-0 when allowing fewer than 20 points.

SATURDAY

No. 2 Ohio State (7-0) at No. 13 Penn State (6-1)
Noon ET on FOX and the FOX Sports app

5: Ohio State has won five straight in this series, which it leads 22-14 all-time. Ohio State is 15-7 when both teams are ranked.

68: Ohio State has scored more than 20 points in 68 consecutive games, one away from tying the all-time record set by Oklahoma from 2016-21.

49.6: Ohio State ranks second in the nation in scoring at 49.6 PPG. The Buckeyes also rank fourth in total offense (517.4 YPG), 15th in passing offense (312.6) and 21st in rushing offense (204.9).

100%: The Buckeyes are the only FBS team that has scored on every red zone trip this season.

1: Ohio State QB C.J. Stroud leads the FBS in passing efficiency (203.9) and passing touchdowns (28).

15: Penn State is one of just four Big Ten teams to score 15-plus rushing TDs and 15-plus passing TDs (Ohio State, Wisconsin, Maryland).

50: Last week, the Nittany Lions held Minnesota to a 40.9% completion percentage, their third opponent held under 50% this season.

722: Against Minnesota, Penn State QB Sean Clifford became the all-time completions leader at Penn State with 722.

Oklahoma (4-3) at Iowa State (3-4)
Noon ET on FS1 and the FOX Sports app

78-7-2: Oklahoma has dominated this series all-time, including 22 wins in their last 24 meetings.

1999: Saturday's game will mark the first since 1999 that Oklahoma is not ranked in the AP poll when facing Iowa State, breaking a streak of 17 matchups.

22: OU has scored on 22 of its 26 red zone opportunities this season (18 touchdowns and four field goals).

52: Oklahoma is tied for 16th nationally with its 52 tackles for loss and ranks 19th with 214 TFL yardage.

4: Iowa State has lost four straight games, the longest active losing streak in the Big 12.

369.6: Iowa State is the only Big 12 team not to be averaging at least 400 yards per game.

11: Iowa State is tied for the second-most giveaways in the Big 12, with 11.

No. 8 Oregon (6-1) at California (3-4)
3:30 p.m. ET on FS1 and the FOX Sports app

42-41-2: California has a narrow lead in this series all-time, but Oregon has won 11 of their last 13 meetings.

42.4: Oregon leads the Pac-12 scoring 42.4 PPG. The Ducks also lead the Pac-12 with 517.1 yards per game.

40+: The Ducks have seven pass plays of 40-plus yards this season, tied for the second-most in the Pac-12.

50%: Oregon is one of two Pac-12 teams (Colorado) converting 50% or more of its third downs this season.

3: Cal has lost three straight games, the longest active losing streak in the Pac-12.

8: Cal’s +8 turnover margin is the second-best in the Pac-12.

20: The Bears are 3-1 when scoring 20-plus points and 0-3 when failing to score 20 points.

No. 9 Oklahoma State (6-1) at No. 22 Kansas State (5-2)
3:30 p.m. ET on FOX and the FOX Sports app

42-26: Oklahoma State leads the all-time series, including three wins in a row. This is just the second time both teams are ranked playing each other.

3: This is the third consecutive AP-ranked opponent that Oklahoma State has faced, fourth in its past five games.

27: Oklahoma State has committed only 27 penalties this season, the fewest among FBS teams. The Cowboys committed zero penalties last week for the first time in program history.

44.7: Oklahoma State has the No. 3 scoring offense in the FBS at 44.7 PPG.

232.1: The Wildcats are rushing for 232.1 yards per game, which ranks 11th in the nation and fifth among Power 5 teams.

9: K-State leads the Big 12 with nine interceptions.

+0.86: The Wildcats enter this week ranked 16th nationally and first in the Big 12 in turnover margin (+0.86 per game).

No. 10 USC (6-1) at Arizona (3-4) 
7 p.m. ET

36-8: USC has beaten Arizona nine times in a row and leads the all-time series 36-8.

1: USC has turned it over just once this season, the fewest in the nation. The Trojans also have 16 takeaways, giving them a nation-leading +15 turnover margin.

7.02: The Trojans are among 11 teams in the nation averaging at least seven yards per play.

50%: USC is one of two Pac-12 teams (Washington) to convert 50% or more of its third downs and have an average time of possession of 30 minutes or more.

334.4: The Wildcats boast the No. 6 passing offense in the nation, averaging 334.4 yards per game.

20: Arizona has 40 passing plays of 20-plus yards this season, the most in the Pac-12.

73.5%: The Wildcats have scored on just 73.5% of their red zone possessions, last in the Pac-12.

No. 19 Kentucky (5-2) at No. 3 Tennessee (7-0)
7 p.m. ET

82-26-9: Tennessee has dominated this series all-time and has beaten the Wildcats in eight of their last 10 meetings.

5: Kentucky has won five of its last seven games against ranked teams.

295.43: The Wildcats are second in the SEC behind Georgia in total defense, limiting their opponents to just 295.43 YPG.

31: UK has the second-most interceptions in the SEC since 2020 (31) and has the second-most interceptions in the league this season with six.

1998: Tennessee is 7-0 for the first time since its undefeated 1998 national championship season.

50.1: The Vols lead the nation in scoring offense (50.1) and total offense (571.7), and are second in the nation in passing offense (368.9) and passing efficiency (198.58).

36-0: Tennessee's record when scoring at least 27 against Kentucky.

Michigan State (3-4) at No. 4 Michigan (7-0)
7:30 p.m. ET

71-38-5: Michigan leads the all-time series by a wide margin, but Michigan State has won two straight and is 10-4 in this series since 2008.

30: The Spartans are 3-1 when holding opponents under 30 points and 0-3 when failing to do so.

7: No Big Ten team has fewer plays of 30-plus yards from scrimmage than Michigan State, with seven.

5.94: Michigan State is allowing nearly six yards per play, last in the Big Ten.

42-8: This is Michigan's record at home under Jim Harbaugh.

42.7: The Wolverines are sixth in the FBS in scoring and are one of three teams in the top 10 in the FBS in both scoring offense and scoring defense.

159-37: The Wolverines have outscored their opponents 159-37 in the first half this season, including 81-17 in the first quarter.

Stanford (3-4) at No. 12 UCLA (6-1)
10:30 p.m. ET

47-43-3: UCLA holds a narrow edge in this series all-time, but Stanford has won 12 of the last 14 dating back to 2009.

15-14: This was the score in Stanford's victory over Arizona State last week. It was Stanford’s first win without scoring a touchdown since Oct. 24, 1970, a 9-7 victory over UCLA.

30.8%: Stanford leads the Pac-12 and is 19th nationally in third-down defense, allowing opponents to convert just 28 of 91 (30.8%).

14: Stanford's 14 giveaways are tied for the most in the Pac-12.

7: The Bruins have won their last seven home games, their longest such streak since winning 10 straight over the 2005 and 2006 seasons.

54.1%: UCLA has the best third-down offense in the Pac-12, converting 54.1% of its tries.

43: QB Dorian Thompson-Robinson will make his 43rd start as UCLA QB this week, one behind the school record.

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