The Northwestern Wildcats (1-3) visit the Penn State Nittany Lions (4-0) Saturday with kickoff from Beaver Stadium set for 3:30 p.m. ET (ESPN). Below, we look at the Northwestern vs. Penn State odds from Tipico Sportsbook; check back for all our college football picks and predictions.
Northwestern started the season with a 31-28 Big Ten win over Nebraska, but has lost 3 straight since — to Duke (31-23), Southern Illinois (31-24) and Miami of Ohio (17-14).
After starting the season off with a tight 35-31 Big Ten win over Purdue, Penn State has been rolling. They have yet to score under 33 points in a game and both the offense and defense have looked solid. Sixth-year QB Sean Clifford is off to strong start with 8 TDs and only 1 INT. He’s hit 64.1% of his passes (75-of-117) for 890 yards while only playing 4 quarters in 1 of 4 games this season.
Penn State is No. 12 in the AFCA Coaches Poll powered by USA TODAY Sports.
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Northwestern at Penn State odds
Provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated Wednesday at 3:02 p.m. ET.
- Money line (ML): Northwestern +1100 (bet $100 to win $1,100) | Penn State -3000 (bet $3,000 to win $100)
- Against the spread (ATS): Northwestern +26.5 (-105) | Penn State -26.5 (-115)
- Over/Under (O/U): 52.5 (O: -108 | U: -112)
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Northwestern at Penn State picks and predictions
Prediction
Penn State 35, Northwestern 13
Money line
PASS. Penn State (-3000) will win, but no one should make this bet – odds with so much juice.
The game should be a blowout for Penn State. The Lions’ lone close game came in Week 1 against Purdue, and ever since that they’ve won by an average margin of 28 points, including a 29-point win at Auburn in Week 3. Northwestern’s lone win was against a lackluster Nebraska team. Clifford seems to be rolling along with true freshman RB Nick Singleton (averaging 9 yards per carry) and transfer WR Mitchell Tinsley (3 TDs).
Against the spread
LEAN NORTHWESTERN +26.5 (-108)
Penn State has covered the spread in 3 of their 4 games this season, but the 1 time they didn’t was last week against Central Michigan. In the last 3 games Penn State has pulled their starters after gaining the lead and while the backups have proven they can score against lackluster opponents, I’m not sure that will be enough to beat Northwestern by 26.5 points or more.
Penn State is also 0-5 ATS in their last 5 home games vs. opponents with a losing record.
Over/Under
BET UNDER 52.5 (-112)
To me this is the 2nd safest bet in this game. The under is 7-0 in Penn State’s last 7 home games against opponents with losing records, and I don’t see that changing here. Expect Penn State to get a huge lead going into the end of the 3rd quarter and then pull their starters and start milking the clock.
I don’t see Penn State’s tough secondary giving up many yards or points to a pass-heavy Northwestern offense. This secondary leads FBS in pass break-ups with 41, the next closest being Illinois and Pittsburgh at 25. A defense led by CB Joey Porter Jr. shouldn’t allow more than 2 scores.
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