The mark of a good team is not always what they do in the big games, it’s how they respond when their season is essentially over. In college football, only 4 teams make it into the postseason, with the remaining teams all fighting it out over the bowl games that come during the holiday season. For the bigger programs, those bowl games are very often seen as a rather poor consolation prize, but you can bet that coaches will be looking to see which players continue to push and play hard when that is all there is at stake.
That is exactly where the Penn State Nittany Lions are right now, as a trio of losses has seen their push for a playoff spot become totally derailed. They are now essentially limping towards the finish line of the regular season, but they need to find a way to pick themselves up with a trip to Rutgers on tap this coming weekend. The Nittany Lions are in as a 28-point favorite, with the point total set at 49 ½.
Penn State vs Rutgers NCAA Football Week 12 Odds & Prediction
.@StevenG511 is headed back to his home state to take on Rutgers this weekend. Hear what he had to say about the B1G matchup. ⬇️#WeAre pic.twitter.com/oALmrGeGrt
— Penn State Football (@PennStateFball) 15 de noviembre de 2018
- When: Saturday, November 17 at 12 PM EST
- Where: HighPoint.com Stadium, Piscataway
- TV: BTN
- Radio: TuneIn
- Live Stream: BTN2Go
- NCAA Football Week 12: Penn State -28 (Total 50)
Boston College vs Florida State NCAA Football Week 12 Betting Preview
Weather Forecast
- Partly Cloudy: 7°C/44°F
- Humidity: 65%
- Precipitation: 1%
- Cloud Cover: 32%
- Wind: 7 mph WNW
- Stadium Type: Open
Why bet on the Penn State Nittany Lions?
The Nittany Lions were in as one of the favorites in the Big Ten Conference prior to the start of the season, but their inability to beat the best teams in the conference is what has let them down. Their 3 losses this season have come against Michigan State, Ohio State, and the Michigan Wolverines, 3 teams that they really needed to beat if a conference crown and a playoff spot were to happen.The way in which they lost to Ohio State, gassing a 13-point lead in the final 8 minutes, appeared to set the tone for the rest of the season, as Penn State have not been particularly convincing since then, going 3-2 SU and just 2-3 ATS. They are, though, coming off a 22-10 win over Wisconsin last week, covering the spread in the process, so perhaps they are looking to finish strong.
Team Stats
Offense- Average Score For: 35.70
- Total Yards: 420.50
- Rush Yards: 205.30
- Passing Yards: 215.20
- Average Score Against: 23.00
- Total Yards: 376.60
- Rush Yards: 175.90
- Passing Yards: 200.70
Why bet on the Rutgers Scarlet Knights?
After winning their opening game of the season against Texas State, it has been all downhill for Rutgers, with their losing streak now sitting at 9 games. They have been in as the underdog in each of those 9 match-ups, covering the spread in just 4 of those games. That said, the Scarlet Knights are on a streak of 3-straight games where they have covered the spread, with all 3 being games where they were the underdog by more than 20 points.
They have been a decent bet when playing in their own building, going 4-2 ATS in their last 6 games at home. In their 4 previous meetings with Penn State, they are 0-4, SU and 2-2 ATS, with all 4 of those games falling UNDER the point total.
Team Stats
Offense- Average Score For: 14.50
- Total Yards: 274.40
- Rush Yards: 131.30
- Passing Yards: 143.10
- Average Score Against: 34.30
- Total Yards: 418.60
- Rush Yards: 229.70
- Passing Yards: 188.90
Middle Tennessee vs Kentucky NCAA Football Week 12 Odds & Pick
Penn State vs Rutgers NCAA Football Week 12 Betting Trends
Penn State is 6-3 ATS in its last 9 games Penn State is 11-3 SU in its last 14 games The total has gone OVER in 12 of Penn State’s last 17 games Rutgers is 4-2 ATS in its last 6 games Rutgers is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Rutgers’s last 6 games
Expert Pick & Final Score Prediction for Penn State vs Rutgers
While the Nittany Lions have certainly not been at their best in recent weeks, they should be more than good enough to comfortably take care of the Scarlet Knights. I have Penn State winning this one and covering the spread, with the point total going UNDER.Score: Penn State Nittany Lions 40 – Rutgers Scarlet Knights 6
