Penn St. vs. Pittsburgh Prediction
Will Pittsburgh and Penn State put on a defensive clinic when the two meet up on Saturday at Noon ET on ESPN?
According to oddsmakers at BetDSI, Pittsburgh is the slight favorite in this game, as the Panthers are getting odds of -6 points against Penn State. The over/under total for the contest is currently listed at 49 points. These two teams haven’t met since 2000, but Pittsburgh has covered in six of the last seven encounters.
Bet on Penn State vs. Pittsburgh
Penn State opened the season with a 33-13 win over Kent State at home. The Nittany Lions didn’t cover the 24-point spread but did hit the over. Despite winning by 20, the stats were closer to even. Penn State had 354 total yards while Kent State finished with 279. The big difference in the game was turnovers, as the Nittany Lions forced three on the Golden Flashes. Trace McSorley threw for 209 yards and two touchdowns while Saquon Barkley rushed for 105 yards and a score. The offense didn’t give much hope for future games against tougher opponents and shows why the Nittany Lions were 8-5 with the under last season.
Pittsburgh started the year with a 28-7 win over Villanova. The Panthers failed to cover a 28-point spread and hit the under in the win. Like Penn State, Pittsburgh had a bit of a grind in its win. The Panthers had just 261 total yards but held the Wildcats to 172 yards. A concern for Pitt is that it was held to 86 rushing yards on 34 carries. James Conner posted just 53 yards on 17 carries while Nathan Peterman threw for 175 yards and two scores. Not surprising for a Pat Narduzzi team, the defense was physical and should be strong going forward.
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With both teams struggling to move the ball in Week 1, this weekend’s matchup isn’t likely to produce better results. Both teams now face a better defense than they face the week before. Pittsburgh probably won’t have better success running the ball and Penn State isn’t going to get set up with good field position by creating a lot of turnovers. This game should be another physical, grind-it-out game. Don’t look for too many highlights.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL WEEK 2 PREDICTION: PENN STATE/PITTSBURGH UNDER 49