Tag: staff predictions

Staff predictions: Penn State an easy pick vs. UMass

The staff of Nittany Lions Wire shares their Week 7 predictions for Penn State vs. UMass.

Penn State is back on the football field this weekend with a homecoming game against UMass. Penn State is a heavy favorite this week, and it is easy to see why. Penn State is a legitimate top 10 team this season while the Minutemen have not won since Week 0. That makes this week’s game prediction from the Nittany Lions Wire staff an easy one to make.

In short, we’re already in the mood to start preparing for next week’s big game on the road at Ohio State. But, here are our official predictions for Penn State’s game against UMass.

Brad Wakai, Contributor

Penn State returns to action off their bye facing a UMass team that has given up tons of points to opposing teams. This should be an easy watch for Penn State fans as they win 49-7.

Final score: Penn State 49, UMass 7

Season record: 5-0

Season record ATS: 5-0

Kevin McGuire, Editor

I have historically wondered how slow some Penn State teams would come out of a bye week, but this is not one of those times. Penn State is a total mismatch for UMass in every facet of the game and I fully expect the points to come fast for the offense and the defense will continue to dominate. I’m counting on a massive day on the ground from Nick Singleton, although he may get an early rest to stay healthy for next week’s game.

I’m also done performing so poorly against the spread. Shame on me.

Final score: Penn State 56, UMass 6

Season record: 5-0

Season record ATS: 1-4

Packers Wire staff predictions: Week 5 vs. Raiders

Here’s how the staff at Packers Wire believes the Week 5 showdown with the Raiders will go down.

The Green Bay Packers (2-2) and Las Vegas Raiders (1-3) will finish off Week 5 in the NFL with a showdown at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas on Monday night.

Can Matt LaFleur and the Packers go into the bye week with a big primetime win and a 3-2 record?

Here’s how the staff at Packers Wire believes the Week 5 showdown with the Raiders will go down:

Roll Tide Wire staff predictions for Alabama vs. Mississippi State

Staff predictions for Alabama vs. Mississippi State

[autotag]Nick Saban[/autotag] will lead the Alabama football team into Davis Wade Stadium on Saturday night for the Crimson Tide’s first road game of the SEC schedule against the Mississippi State Bulldogs.

The two programs seem to be trending in opposite directions this season with Alabama starting to play some of its better football while Mississippi State is on a two-game losing streak and in desperate need of a win in conference play.

As Alabama fans hold out hope for this Crimson Tide team, the staff here at Roll Tide Wire provide their predictions for the Week 5 matchup between the Alabama Crimson Tide and the Mississippi State Bulldogs.

Packers Wire staff predictions: Week 4 vs. Lions

The staff at Packers Wire predicts the outcome and score of Thursday night’s Week 4 showdown against the Lions.

The Green Bay Packers (2-1) and Detroit Lions (2-1) will begin Week 4 in the NFL with a crucial early season battle in the NFC North on “Thursday Night Football.” The winner in primetime will move to 3-1 and sole possession of first place in the division.

Can the Packers build on the momentum created during a dramatic fourth quarter vs. the Saints on Sunday, or will the Lions win a fourth straight game against the Packers?

Here’s how the staff at Packers Wire believes the Week 4 showdown against the Lions will go down:

Packers Wire staff predictions: Week 3 vs. Saints

The staff at Packers Wire predicts the outcome and score of Week 3 vs. the Saints.

The Green Bay Packers (1-1) and New Orleans Saints (2-0) will face off Sunday at Lambeau Field in a Week 3 battle within the NFC. The home opener for the Packers features a visit from the unbeaten Saints, who won games against the Titans and Panthers over the first two weeks.

Can the Packers bounce back from last week’s meltdown in Atlanta and get to 2-1 with a home win, or will the Saints be flying back to New Orleans with a 3-0 record?

Here’s how the staff at Packers Wire believes the Week 3 showdown against the Saints will go down:

Staff predictions: Will Penn State beat Iowa?

The staff of Nittany Lions Wire shares their Week 4 predictions for Penn State vs. Iowa.

After grinding out a road win last week at Illinois on the strength of its defense forcing five turnovers, Penn State looks to keep up that same level of defensive play this week. The Iowa Hawkeyes are making their way to State College this weekend for a primetime whiteout matchup in Beaver Stadium. The crowd figures to be electric as Penn State looks to improve to 4-0.

Iowa’s defense should be another solid test for Drew Allar and the Penn State running game, but the Hawkeyes may not have the offensive firepower needed to crack Penn State’s defense enough. But this could easily turn into a classic Penn State-Iowa matchup where it could be a race to 20 points.

How is our staff feeling about this week’s matchup? Pretty, pretty good.

Brad Wakai, Contributor

Penn State comes home to the best atmosphere in college sports after a Jekyll and Hyde performance from their offense and defense last week. At home, they’ll put together a much better performance and dominate an undermanned Iowa team. They win this game 31-10.

Final score: Penn State 31, Iowa 10

Season record: 3-0

Season record ATS: 3-0

Kevin McGuire, Editor

My confidence in Penn State took a slight step back last week with some offensive growing pains on full display. Iowa’s defense won’t be easy to solve either but I do think the home cooking will do Penn State some good. We’re still waiting for the monster explosive plays to come to fruition, and I think that will wait for one more week. But I still think Penn State has too much in their favor on offense compared to the Iowa offensive threats. Penn State.

Final score: Penn State 26, Iowa 13

Season record: 3-0

Season record ATS: 0-3

Staff predictions: Penn State coming home with win at Illinois?

The staff of Nittany Lions Wire shares their Week 3 predictions for Penn State vs. Illinois.

For the first time this college football season, Penn State is hitting the road. The Nittany Lions, fresh off to a 2-0 start to the year, will look to add another win to the record when they visit Illinois in the Big Ten opener for both teams. While things have gone smoothly for Penn State in the early-going of the season, Illinois has looked shaky in their 1-1 start to the year, including last week’s tough road loss at Kansas.

Our staff at Nittany Lions Wire is once again feeling good about Penn State’s chances of returning to Happy Valley with a victory. Penn State is a sizable favorite in the game, which may be no real shocker. But will the Nittany Lions manage to come up with a cover on their way back home from the Big Ten opener?

Here is how we are feeling about this weekend’s matchup with the Illini.

Brad Wakai, Contributor

Penn State starts their conference season facing a tough road test against Illinois who will attack their run defense. Penn State should counter with aerial throws and explosive runs that get them to a comfortable victory. The Nittany Lions win 34-14.

Final score: Penn State 34, Illinois 14

Season record: 2-0

Season record ATS: 2-0

Kevin McGuire, Editor

My discomfort level with this game has diminished much more than I anticipated two weeks into the season. Did I overrate Illinois based solely off of last season? Yeah, probably. The Illini will tighten up a bit on defense this week, but there is a significant gap between these two programs. I’ve got Penn State winning, but Illinois does more than enough to provide some brief moments of uneasiness.

Final score: Penn State 31, Illinois 20

Season record: 2-0

Season record ATS: 0-2

Packers Wire staff predictions: Week 1 vs. Bears

Here’s how the staff at Packers Wire believes the Week 1 showdown against the Bears will go down.

The Green Bay Packers and Chicago Bears will open the 2023 season with a rivalry renewal at Soldier Field on Sunday afternoon. The winner will start 1-0, have a big division win banked entering Week 2 and feel great about their chances in the post-Aaron Rodgers era.

Can Jordan Love begin his starting career with a win in Chicago, or will Justin Fields and the Bears snap an eight-game losing streak to the Packers?

Here’s how the staff at Packers Wire believes the Week 1 showdown against the Bears will go down:

Staff predictions: Penn State expected to give Delaware a rude welcome

The staff of Nittany Lions Wire didn’t have to lose sleep figuring out their Week 2 predictions for Penn State vs. Delaware.

Penn State celebrated the start of the 2023 season with a fun primetime victory over West Virginia in Week 1. The second game of the season will see far less of the national spotlight as the Nittany Lions host the Delaware Blue Hens for a noon kickoff that won’t even be airing on traditional television. Instead, Penn State’s Week 2 contest with the FCS opponent will be streaming on NBC’s Peacock platform, meaning this should be the least viewed Penn State game of the season by far.

But this may be the most optimal game to place on the streaming service as there is little drama surrounding it and the outcome should be a pretty lopsided one in the end. Will fans miss a few highlights along the way? Quite possibly. But will they end up missing out on a memorable game for the ages? Again, most likely not.

Our staff is once again putting our predictions on the line for this weekend’s game, and we are once again feeling pretty good about Penn State’s chances of going 2-0 to start the season.

Brad Wakai, Contributor

Coming out of an electric environment in primetime against West Virginia, the Nittany Lions will have to generate their own energy against an unknown FCS school Delaware. Expect this to be a big win and to see the young players get a lot of playing time. Penn State rolls 48-7.

Final score: Penn State 48, Delaware 7

Season record: 1-0

Season record ATS: 1-0

Kevin McGuire, Editor

There are very few reasons Penn State fans should be concerned about this week’s matchup against Delaware. I expect the Blue Hens to stand their ground on a few drives and move the ball for a couple of solid drives because there is good talent on this Delaware roster. But it’s not nearly athletic and deep enough to keep pace with Penn State on either side of the football. I do suspect a slow start from Penn State on offense before really laying the hammer down and pulling away as the game continues on.

Final score: Penn State 38, Delaware 13

Season record: 1-0

Season record ATS: 0-1

Staff predictions: Penn State starting the year with a win vs. West Virginia?

Penn State is the easy pick in Week 1 at home.

The start of a new season is finally upon us, and our staff at Nittany Lions Wirew could not be happier to see the return of Penn State football. Each week throughout the season we will be sharing our quick thoughts and predictions for the game of the week, starting with Penn State’s season opener against West Virginia.

Penn State will host the Mountaineers in the first meeting between the two former regional rivals since 1992. The all-time series results weigh heavily in Penn State’s favor over the years and the Nittany Lions are a big favorite at home to start the 2023 season.

Penn State’s primetime season opener will air on NBC as the first official primetime game on the Big Ten’s new media rights deal with the network. NBC could not have asked for a better setting to kickstart their Big Ten partnership as Beaver Stadium will be electric with the helmet stripe game, or as James Franklin called it a mini whiteout. Either way, the crowd will be energized for the start of what could be a fun year in Happy Valley, and having an old regional rival in town should rekindle some good memories for fans who remember the pre-Big Ten era fondly.

Here is how we see the game playing out this weekend. In short, Penn State should be in good shape.

Brad Wakai, Contributor

Saturday should be an interesting opener for Penn State facing a hungry West Virginia team that is thinking upset. However, there is too much talent on the Nittany Lions roster and they eventually run away from the Mountaineers using their running game and defense

Final score: Penn State 35, West Virginia 14

Kevin McGuire, Editor

The recipe for a season-opening win in primetime is pretty simple. Let the defense cook and let the running game take care of business on offense. Penn State simply has too much talent in those areas to allow for this game to be a close contest, although I do think West Virginia finds a way to keep this within the point spread, even if it is with a late score with the game all but officially over. Drew Allar gets a big splash early at quarterback before hitting a brief lull, but he will be able to let the running game lead the team to victory this week.

Final score: Penn State 34, West Virginia 17