Regardless of the outcomes of the games in Week 1 of the NCAAF season, it’s never a good idea to get too up or down on your team based on a single performance. Sure, there should be a little cause for concern if a team that is picked to be a playoff certainty loses or struggles to win, but you also can’t look at a team that wins in blowout style as a definite contender, especially if said victory came against a punching bag team. That was exactly the type of win that the Penn State Nittany Lions delivered when they knocked off the Akron Zips 52-0 and covered the College Football spread set for that game.
That was exactly what was expected of them, if the 30+ point spread was anything to go by. They should get a sterner test against the Pittsburgh Panthers this weekend, as this was a team that surprised them in the early part of last season. The Nittany Lions are coming into this one as a 20-point home favorite, but you can bet that they will have been warned about taking this one for granted after what happened between these two teams last season. Hence, before we start with this game analysis, let’s also review the betting odds .
The Penn State Nittany Lions were getting a lot of love before the season began, with many pundits picking them as a good bet to go to the college football playoffs. They did nothing to knock that theory with a comfortable Week 1 win over Akron, but it’s safe to say that this game will give us a better idea of what to expect from this group the rest of the way. The Nittanly Lions ended last season as one of the hottest teams on college football, but it was that early season loss to Pittsburgh that hurt them in the eyes of the playoff committee.
Penn State will not want to make the same mistake as last season by underestimating this Panthers team, and you get the sense that if they can come out and play their game, they should be able to roll past Pitt at home. Penn State have gone 5-0 ATS in their last 5 games, but perhaps more impressive is the fact that they are 9-1 ATS in their last 10 home games. Happy Valley has proven to be a happy home for the Lions of late, and that should continue to be the case this weekend.
Pittsburgh Panthers at Penn State Nittany Lions NCAAF Betting Odds
When: Saturday, September 9 at 3:30 PM EST Where: Beaver Stadium, University Park TV: FS1 Live Stream: NCAA Live NCAAF Betting Odds: Penn State Nittany Lions -20 (-110) GAMETIME WEATHER- Partly Cloudy
- 18°C/64°F
- Humidity 49%
- Precipitation % 0%
- Cloud Cover 33%
- Wind 6 mph N
- Stadium Type Open
Why bet on the Pittsburgh Panthers
The Panthers opened their season with a less than stellar performance in a 28-21 win over Youngstown State in Week 1, although the way they won may not be that surprising. The Panthers are running what we all know as a vanilla offense in that one, almost as if they were trying to hide their cards ahead of this week’s game with Penn State. It was a similar tactic to the one that they used to devastating effect last season, when they were able to beat the Nittany Lions 42-39 in a truly memorable match-up. It is worth remembering, though, that the game was played early in the year, with that loss seeming to serve as a catalyst for the great run that Penn State went on to end the season. Moreover, Pittsburgh have gone just 5-11 ATS in their last 16 games, although they are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 meetings with Penn State.Pittsburgh Panthers NCAAF Betting Trends
- The Pittsburgh Panthers are 5-11 ATS in its last 16 games
- Pittsburgh Panthers are 4-1 SU in its last 5 college football games
- The total has gone OVER in 11 of Pittsburgh’s last 13 games
- Pittsburgh Panthers are 2-5 SU in its last 7 college football games on the road
- Total has gone OVER in 6 of Pittsburgh Panthers’ last 7 games on the road
- Pittsburgh Panthers are 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games when playing Penn State
College Football Betting 5 Fearless ACC Predictions
Why bet on Penn State Nittany Lions
The Penn State Nittany Lions were getting a lot of love before the season began, with many pundits picking them as a good bet to go to the college football playoffs. They did nothing to knock that theory with a comfortable Week 1 win over Akron, but it’s safe to say that this game will give us a better idea of what to expect from this group the rest of the way. The Nittanly Lions ended last season as one of the hottest teams on college football, but it was that early season loss to Pittsburgh that hurt them in the eyes of the playoff committee.
Penn State will not want to make the same mistake as last season by underestimating this Panthers team, and you get the sense that if they can come out and play their game, they should be able to roll past Pitt at home. Penn State have gone 5-0 ATS in their last 5 games, but perhaps more impressive is the fact that they are 9-1 ATS in their last 10 home games. Happy Valley has proven to be a happy home for the Lions of late, and that should continue to be the case this weekend.
Penn State Nittany Lions NCAAF Betting Trends
- Penn State Nittany Lions are5-0 ATS in its last 5 college football games
- The Penn State Nittany Lions are 10-1 SU in its last 11 games
- Total has gone OVER in 6 of Penn State Nittany Lions’ last 8 college football games
- Penn State is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 college football games at home
- The Penn State is 9-1 SU in its last 10 games at home
- Total has gone OVER in 4 of Penn State’s last 5 college football games at home
- Penn State is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games when playing Pittsburgh
