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The No.7 Penn State Nittany Lions (4-0, 2-0 Big Ten) take a trip to Evanston, Ill., to play the Northwestern Wildcats (2-2, 1-1) on Saturday. Kickoff from Ryan Field is set for noon ET (Big Ten Network). Below, we analyze BetMGM Sportsbook’s lines around the Penn State vs. Northwestern odds, and make our expert college football picks and predictions.
The Nittany Lions shut out the formerly No. 22-ranked Iowa Hawkeyes 31-0 last Saturday. QB Drew Allar overcame poor weather conditions to complete 25 of 37 passes for 166 yards and 4 TDs. Penn State’s defense continued to show why it is one of the best squads in the nation, forcing 6 fumbles while also getting 3 sacks and 5 tackles for loss. It is allowing just 8.8 points per game (5th of 133).
Northwestern pulled off an improbable comeback to secure a 37-34 OT win Saturday vs. the Minnesota Golden Gophers, winning as an 11-point underdog. The Wildcats trailed 31-10 with 12 minutes left in the 4th quarter before scoring 21 unanswered points, including the game-tying TD pass by QB Ben Bryant with 2 seconds left in the game. Minnesota scored a field goal 1st in OT, but Bryant struck again with a 25-yard TD pass on Northwestern’s 1st play of OT to win it.
Penn State is No. 7 in the US LBM Coaches Poll powered by USA TODAY Sports.
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Penn State at Northwestern odds
Provided by BetMGM Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated Thursday at 10:31 p.m. ET.
- Moneyline (ML): Penn State -10000 (bet $10000 to win $100) | Northwestern +1600 (bet $100 to win $1600)
- Against the spread (ATS): Penn State -27.5 (-105) | Northwestern +27.5 (-115)
- Over/Under (O/U): 45.5 (O: -115 | U: -105)
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Penn State at Northwestern picks and predictions
Prediction
Penn State 35, Northwestern 10
Moneyline
PASS.
Penn State will pick up the win here, but -10000 favorites are never worth the risk of betting on. Bet on the spread and/or total instead.
Against the spread
LEAN WILDCATS +27.5 (-115).
Northwestern has been competitive in past games vs. the Nittany Lions, even when outmatched. Penn State hasn’t beaten Northwestern by 27-plus points since 2002 when it won 49-0.
This play is only a lean because of how talented this Penn State team is and how dominant it has proven to be on the defensive side of the ball.
Over/Under
LEAN UNDER 45.5 (-105).
A matchup between the Nittany Lions and Wildcats hasn’t hit the Over number of 45.5 since 2012 when the Nittany Lions won 39-28, meaning thr Under has hit 4 straight in the series. The Nittany Lions defense is so good I expect the Wildcats to simply have too much trouble scoring to help push this game to hit the Over.
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