#8 Penn State @ West Virginia: NCAA Football Predictions, Odds & Best Bets (8/31)

Week 1 of College Football is here! We have a plethora of games on the slate this weekend, but let’s take a look at one of the marquee matchups for Saturday featuring two Power 4 Conference teams. The Top 10 Penn State Nittany Lions travel to Morgantown to take on the West Virginia Mountaineers. With a Big Ten vs Big 12 showdown to start our College Football Saturday, we had to dive into this game and find our best bet.

Big expectations surround this Penn State team as they head into another Big Ten season. Will this finally be the year they can stake a claim in the Big Ten Championship game? As for the Mountaineers, it may be a character building season for them in a much tougher Big 12 conference. However, they are still a tough football team, and Morgantown is a tough place to go in and win a football game. West Virginia will certainly be looking to make a statement with an upset win over a Top 10 team at home.

Could they make it happen? Or will Drew Allar and the Nittany Lions handle business in Week 1?

#8 Penn State vs West Virginia: Power 4 Week 1 Matchup

Matchup Information – Penn State vs West Virginia

• Venue & Location: Milan Puskar Stadium (Morgantown, WV)
• Date: Saturday, August 31st, 2024
• Kick Off: 12:00pm Eastern
• Broadcast: FOX

Betting Odds

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Spread

• Penn State -8 (-110)
• West Virginia +8 (-110)

Money Line

• Penn State -300
• West Virginia +250

Total

• Over 51.5 (-110)
• Under 51.5 (-110)

Will West Virginia Put Up a Fight?

Do I think West Virginia will compete for the Big 12 Championship this season? No, not at all. Do I think they take it to Penn State and give them hell at home? Abso-freaking-lutely.

Look, this is going to be a tough game for Allar and the Nittany Lions. Even with their returning starters on both sides of the ball, going into a Power 4 opponent and coming out with a win is no easy task. This number opened up with Penn State being the 10.5 point favorite, and was quickly bought down to the number we see now. I think plenty of people were licking their chops seeing the books hang a Power 4 Home Underdog as double digits. Now, these teams opened up the season last year in University Park, with Penn State winning 38-15. While I slightly lean with West Virginia to cover, at this point the best number is gone, and out of principle will not be backing them.

Last Year’s Numbers

West Virginia gave up tons of yards on the ground last season, over 150 per game to be exact. With Penn State returning a pair of powerful running backs in Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen, I think the ground game could be in their favor. By pounding the ground, the Nittany Lions will take tons of pressure off of Allar in this hostile environment, making running the show that much easier. Defensively, I see Penn State coming to play, and forcing the Mountaineers into plenty of punts. It should be very difficult to move the ball against a defense that ranked 1st in rushing defense and 11th in passing defense just a season ago.

I see this being a typical grunge match, won in the trenches, and personally I’ll take the Nittany Lions up front. I doubt this number drops to -6.5, but if it does, I may need to put my money where my mouth is and take Penn State. However, I’ll be rooting for defense in this matchup.

Penn State vs West Virginia Best Bets

Penn State vs West Virginia Prediction: Penn State Wins, West Virginia Covers, Under 51.5

Best Bets: Penn State/West Virginia Under 51.5 (-110) BetOnline

Now, I looked at both Kaytron Allen and Nicholas Singleton’s rushing yards, and I endorse both bets. The problem is, this tandem backfield splits carries almost exclusively down the middle, making it tough for both guys to do the job. I think Penn State runs the ball plenty, leading to tons of touches for both backs, however, I think this translates to the Nittany Lions possessing the football and moving the chains, slowly but surely.

West Virginia struggled to move the ball last year, and they didn’t improve all that much offensively. Yes, Garrett Greene is another year matured, however with the skill players around him, I don’t think they have enough in the tank to really get it done. What plays in their favor in my eyes, is the fact that this should be a low scoring game. I see Penn State taking their time on offense, and shutting down West Virginia on defense, resulting in a hard nosed victory. Give me Penn State to win this game by holding West Virginia to less than 3 touchdowns.

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