The No. 2-ranked Penn State Nittany Lions are set to take on the Villanova Wildcats this Saturday, with hopes of moving to 3-0 on the young season before their massive matchup with the Oregon Ducks in two weeks. James Franklin and company are huge favorites once again, going up against a much less talented Villanova team.
Last week featured a 34-0 Penn State victory over FIU, but they didn't cover, which certainly mattered to some. The Penn State defense has allowed just 11 points this season, and the team has won by an average margin of 34.5 points.
Penn State's running game took control in the 34-0 victory last Saturday. Kaytron Allen rushed for 144 yards on 16 attempts and added a touchdown. He received three more carries than his running back tandem mate in Nick Singleton, who also got in the endzone.
How to watch Penn State vs. Villanova
Time: Saturday, Sep 13, at 3:30 p.m. EST
Location: Beaver Stadium, University Park, Pennsylvania
Channel: Fox Sports One
Penn State vs. Villanova prediction, odds, spread
Penn State is a huge favorite once again to move to 3-0 on the season. This is a clear geographical game with Villanova being just a few hours away from University Park, and they should dominate. Drew Allar went 19/33 in last week's contest, which is a little pedestrian considering the opponent.
Odds courtesy of Fanduel Sportsbook:
Moneyline: OFF
Spread: Penn State -48.5 (-110)
O/U: 55.5 (-110 both ways)
Best bets for Penn State vs. Villanova
Best bet: Under 55.5 (-110)
For this game, which is yet another expected blowout for Penn State, I will take the under 55.5 points. Villanova isn't going to score, and Penn State is going to want a quick game where all of its players come out unscathed.
Presuming that Villanova does not score, will Penn State be able to score 56 points on its own? Surely they could, but again, they have a huge game in a couple of weeks when they take on the Oregon Ducks.
No player prop pick for me on this game, as there are no lines on several sportsbooks that I've looked at. Staying off player props is probably the best for this one anyway. I expect Penn State to roll, and that could cause the starters to be pulled at halftime.