Penn State-Rutgers predictions: Can Lions win Beaver Stadium finale?
Penn State seeks its 15th straight win over Rutgers when the two sides meet on Saturday.
Kickoff is set for Noon at Beaver Stadium. Big Ten Network will televise the game, with Cory Provus, Matt Millen, and Elise Menaker on the call.
The Lions are 6-4 and fresh off a 21-17 setback against Michigan. Rutgers, on the other hand, is looking to put a winning streak together after blasting Indiana last week in Bloomington. A win would give the Scarlett Knights bowl eligibility for the first time since 2014.
Who will win? It’s time for Blue-White Illustrated’s staff picks.
Related: Key Matchups between Penn State – Rutgers
Nate Bauer (7-3)
I don’t understand how Penn State can be a 17-point favorite, really against anyone, when its offense has trouble scoring 17 points most games.
Does that mean the Nittany Lions can’t or won’t get there on Saturday at Beaver Stadium against this Rutgers team? No, but the sample size is large enough from both of these teams to feel pretty safe predicting that Rutgers won’t score many points and Penn State won’t either.
Penn State 20
Rutgers 10
Greg Pickel (8-2)
Penn State is not a fun team to back from a betting perspective because it’s become challenging to expect them to cover big numbers. The offense simply doesn’t perform well enough to do so. Rutgers is getting 18 points in Vegas for this contest. I think they’ll need every last one of them but will ultimately stay inside the number.
Penn State 27
Rutgers 10
David Eckert (7-3)
I’m expecting this to be a bit of a slog, kind of like how last season’s game at Rutgers turned out. Neither offense is very good — both are in the bottom 30 nationally in yards per play. The defenses should dominate this game, and for that reason I think Rutgers is going to keep this close. I don’t see the Nittany Lions scoring enough points to make this comfortable. Penn State has to be careful here. If there’s any emotional letdown following last week’s disappointment the Nittany Lions could be in some trouble.
Penn State 20
Rutgers 13
Matt Herb (8-2)
I’ll start off with a special bonus prediction: Penn State is not going to turn the ball over six times like Indiana did last week against Rutgers. Props to the Scarlet Knights for turning those giveaways into their most lopsided conference win since joining the Big Ten; they’re clearly a different program now that Greg Schiano is in charge again. But Penn State hasn’t had a turnover since playing Ohio State three weeks ago and isn’t going to hit the self-destruct button as hard or as frequently as the Hoosiers did. And if the Nittany Lions continue to protect the football, they’ve got enough offense and certainly enough defense to produce a victory in their home finale.
Penn State 24
Rutgers 13
Related: See what Greg Schiano said ahead of Saturday’s game
Ryan Snyder (7-3)
The Nittany Lions are 29-2 all-time against the Scarlet Knights, including 14 straight victories. With that said, Rutgers has played Penn State tough in recent years. The final scores don’t really show it, but you know Greg Schiano’s squad is going to come to play Saturday. This game always means more to Rutgers than it does to the Nittany Lions.
At 5-5 on the season, they’re also fighting for bowl eligibility, which has only happened once since they joined the Big Ten. Because of that, I do think we’re going to probably see something similar to last year’s game. Rutgers will come to play early on, while Penn State won’t play to its potential in the first half. We’ve seen the Lions play down to the competition before this season.
But come the second half, they’ll hit a few big plays and build a two touchdown lead. As long as PSU’s defense doesn’t totally sleepwalk through this one, I can’t see Rutgers reaching 20 points. Penn State will, but I’m not sure it’ll cover the spread.
Penn State: 31
Rutgers: 14
