Early betting lines released for four marquee Penn State football games
It’s never too early for some prognostication, and the sportsbooks are doing just that. FanDuel has released its early lines for four Penn State Nittany Lions football games.
Penn State is a preseason favorite in three of those four contests.
Penn State at Purdue
The Nittany Lions begin their season on the road against the Purdue Boilermakers in an unconventional Thursday night kickoff.
Penn State is listed as a 2.5-point favorite for that contest as of May 13.
Jeff Brohm’s team posted an excellent 9-4 record last season, claiming wins over Iowa, Michigan State and Tennessee.
The Nittany Lions boast a 15-3-1 all-time record against Purdue, and have won nine consecutive games between the two programs dating back to 2005. The two teams last met in 2019, with Penn State coasting to a 35-7 victory.
Purdue leaned heavily on its passing game last season, often playing with three different quarterbacks on its way to posting the second-best passing offense in the Big Ten.
PSU at Auburn
Penn State makes the return trip to conclude a home-and-home against the Auburn Tigers in Week Three.
The Nittany Lions are a 1-point favorite to triumph over Bryan Harsin’s team at Jordan-Hare Stadium.
Notably, Auburn moved on from quarterback Bo Nix, and will have a new starting signal-caller when the Nittany Lions make the voyage south.
Penn State beat the Tigers 28-20 during last season’s contest at Beaver Stadium. The Nittany Lions hold a 2-1 all-time record against Auburn.
Penn State vs Minnesota
The Nittany Lions host Minnesota for an intriguing contest at Beaver Stadium on October 22.
Like Purdue, the Golden Gophers produced an excellent season in 2021, finishing with a 9-4 record and beating two ranked opponents.
FanDuel lists Penn State as a 9-point home favorite in this contest.
The Nittany Lions will be looking for some revenge after they lost their most recent game against the Golden Gophers in dramatic fashion.
Minnesota claimed a 31-26 victory in Minneapolis that handed Penn State its first loss that season. The previous contest in this series was another thriller — a 29-26 Penn State overtime victory in 2016 as the Nittany Lions started their run to a Big Ten title.
Penn State is 9-6 all-time against the Golden Gophers.
Nittany Lions at Michigan
Of the four games released thus far, the only one where the Nittany Lions aren’t favored is their trip to Ann Arbor to take on Michigan on October 15.
The defending Big Ten champs, the Wolverines went 12-2 last season, including a berth in the College Football Playoff. The Nittany Lions will be 6.5-point underdogs in this contest.
Michigan grabbed a victory in Happy Valley during that campaign, using a 47-yard touchdown pass from Cade McNamara to Erick All to take a 21-17 lead with 3:29 remaining in the game.
The Nittany Lions are 10-15 all-time against the maize and blue, but have won two of the last three meetings.
