Penn State Football Betting Preview | Big Ten Predictions and Odds
As the college football world turns upside down with conference realignment, NIL and the transfer portal, Penn State football has remained a constant under Head Coach James Franklin. Over the last eight years or so, you can pretty much pencil the Nittany Lions in for the same results with losses to Ohio State and Michigan while beating everyone else convincingly. Will the 2024-25 season bring a similar result?
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2024 Penn State Football Schedule
| Date | Opponent | GoldSheet Line |
| Aug 31 | at West Virginia | -12 |
| Sept 7 | vs Bowling Green | -35 |
| Sept 14 | Bye | |
| Sept 21 | vs Kent State | -50 |
| Sept 28 | vs Illinois | -26 |
| Oct 5 | vs UCLA | -20 |
| Oct 12 | at USC | -7 |
| Oct 19 | Bye | |
| Oct 26 | at Wisconsin | -10 |
| Nov 2 | vs Ohio State | +2 |
| Nov 9 | vs Washington | -16 |
| Nov 16 | at Purdue | -20 |
| Nov 23 | at Minnesota | -18 |
| Nov 30 | vs Maryland | -22 |
Generally speaking, we are a bit higher on the Nittany Lions compared to the rest of the betting market. We have Penn State favored in 11 of its 12 games this season, with the early-November clash against Ohio State as the lone exception.
The Nittany Lions will play three of the four Big Ten newcomers as Penn State will host UCLA and Washington while making the trek to Los Angeles to face USC. DraftKings has released three Games of the Year lines involving Penn State, and our numbers are shaded toward the Nittany Lions in all three:
- Penn State -4 at USC
- Penn State -6.5 at Wisconsin
- Penn State +4 vs Ohio State
Penn State Football Betting Odds
| National Championship | +2200 |
| Big Ten Championship | +500 |
| To Make the CFP | Yes -140 / No +110 |
| Season Win Total | 10.5 (o +140 / u -165) |
| To Go Undefeated | Yes +425 / No -600 |
| Drew Allar Heisman | +4500 |
Odds above courtesy of DraftKings as of Thursday, July 18. Unlike prior years, Penn State can lose its regular season clash with Ohio State and still have a fairly clear path toward a conference championship. The Big Ten has gotten rid of divisions, so Penn State, Ohio State and Michigan are no longer lumped together on the same side of the conference.
Penn State Football Returning Production
Over the last three seasons, Penn State has gone 25-13-1 (65.8-percent) against the spread, which is tied for the second-best mark in the country behind Michigan.
Penn State is expected to return 14 starters (seven on offense and seven on defense) from last year’s 10-3 squad, including quarterback Drew Allar. According to ESPN’s Bill Connelly, the Nittany Lions are projected to return 67-percent of their production from last season: 67-percent on offense and 68-percent on defense. 247Sports has Penn State’s class of incoming talent (freshmen plus transfers) ranked No. 14 in the country and No. 3 in the Big Ten.
The biggest shakeup at Beaver Stadium this season will come in the coach’s booth where Coach Franklin will be replacing both coordinators. Former Indiana head coach Tom Allen will be taking over the reins of the defense, while former Kansas offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki will be tasked with the playcalling.
Allar and the Nittany Lions’ passing attack took a lot of heat last season, but it was unclear where the blame needed to lie. Was Allar making the right reads? Could the receivers get open? Were the right play calls being made? If Kotelnicki can get the Nittany Lions’ passing game in order, Penn State appears destined for another double-digit win season.
GoldSheet College Football Preview
The GoldSheet team has assembled a FREE 60-page college football guide to help you get ready for the 2024-25 NCAAF season. Did you enjoy this Penn State football preview? We’ve got plenty more where that came from. We break down every schedule from every team with projected point spreads, win probabilities and much more. Stay up-to-date on coaching moves, quarterback transfers and conference re-alignment with this complimentary download.
NCAAF Team Previews
Here are the top-25 (actually, 27) teams in our opening power ratings for the 2024 college football season:
| 1) Georgia | T11) Missouri | T21) Arizona |
| 2) Ohio State | T11) Oklahoma | T21) USC |
| 3) Oregon | T11) Texas A&M | T23) Auburn |
| 4) Alabama | T14) Clemson | T23) Washington |
| 5) Texas | T14) Florida State | T23) Iowa State |
| 6) Penn State | 16) Tennessee | T23) TCU |
| 7) Michigan | 17) Kansas State | T23) Oklahoma State |
| 8) Ole Miss | T18) Louisville | |
| 9) Notre Dame | T18) Utah | |
| 10) LSU | T18) Miami (Fla) |
WagerTalk Live Odds Screen
WagerTalk’s live odds screen features up-to-the-minute lines from a variety of offshore and domestic sports books. Track the point spreads, moneylines, totals and betting percentages through every week of the college football season. Oh yeah, you can also find free college football picks and predictions!
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