Rutgers vs. Penn State Pick
Will No. 16 Penn State be able to get back on track this week when the Nittany Lions play host to Rutgers at Noon ET?
According to oddsmakers at Bovada.lv, Penn State is the heavy favorite at home, as the Nittany Lions are getting odds of -31 points against Rutgers. The over/under total for the contest has been set at 52.5 points. Penn State has won 10 straight meetings with Rutgers, covering the spread in seven of the 10 wins. The public is currently putting 60 percent of the wagers on Rutgers on the road. Saturday’s game takes place from Beaver Stadium in University Park, Pennsylvania. The game will air live on the Big Ten Network.
Penn State has lost back-to-back games to Ohio State and Michigan State by a combined four points. The Nittany Lions are now 7-2 overall and 4-2 in the Big Ten. They are 6-2-1 against the spread, pushing or covering in all home games. Penn State is giving up an average of just 14.8 points and 331.4 yards per game while the offense is putting up 38 points and 443.6 yards per contest. Trace McSorley has thrown for 2,452 yards and 19 touchdowns with eight interceptions this season. He also has 305 rushing yards with eight touchdowns. Saquon Barkley has run for 864 yards and nine touchdowns and also has 39 catches for 504 yards and three scores.
Rutgers is coming off a 31-24 win over Maryland last week to improve to 4-5 on the season and 3-3 in the Big Ten. The Scarlet Knights are 7-2 against the spread this season, covering in all three road games. Rutgers has been pretty good on defense, allowing just 24.9 points and 393.9 yards per game. When it comes to offense, Rutgers is averaging 22.6 points and 294.4 yards per game. Their passing attack is putting up just 127 yards per game. Giovanni Rescigno has been the recent starter at QB. He has 407 passing yards with two touchdowns and 1 pick. Gus Edwards is the leading rusher with 630 yards and six touchdowns while Robert Martin has 358 yards and three scores.
I can certainly see Penn State bouncing back this week, but this spread is pretty large. The Nittany Lions have only won two games by more than 31 this year while Rutgers has only lost by this margin once, which was against Ohio State. Still, I have to think the Nittany Lions are eager to unload their two week frustrations out on this Rutgers team. Rutgers has struggled with strong fronts, losing by 56 to OSU and by 31 at Michigan. Penn State should be able to run the ball well on this team and the Rutgers offense isn’t likely to find much success on offense.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL PREDICTION: PENN STATE -31