When will the Penn State-Villanova point spread come out, and what might it be?

Penn State hosts Villanova for the second time in five years on Saturday when the Wildcats come to Beaver Stadium. The non-conference matchup, which is the Lions’ final one of the season, starts at 3:30 p.m. ET on FS1. Usually, by this time on Sunday, a point spread for head coach James Franklin’s team’s next game would be up at BetMGM. But, that won’t be the case this week. That’s because most sports books only post lines for FBS vs. FCS games like this one on the day before kickoff, if they even do so at all.

We’ll get to our guess in a moment. But first, let’s review the Lions’ season so far. After a pretty solid run of both covering big spreads under James Franklin and also hitting the over, and in many instances by themselves, Penn State is 0-2 against the spread this year and 1-1 against the total. It nearly covered in Week 1 but gave up a late touchdown. It did not ever threaten to do so Saturday in a 34-0 win over Nevada as a 41.5-point favorite.

“Overall, I am pleased with the win,” Franklin said. “I think we made it harder than it needed to be in a lot of areas. We’re playing a bunch of young guys, and it felt like that at times. So, we have got to get those things cleaned up. Some interesting facts: we’ve shut out an opponent for the fifth straight season. 

“Some good things, but not where we need to be. But also, winning consistently is hard to do, and we have found a way to do that.”

What could the Penn State-Villanova point spread be?

It goes without saying that the number figures to exceed six touchdowns. That would be the third straight game where Penn State is favored by 40 points or more. Villanova is 1-0 after winning against Colgate in its season opener on Saturday. Before Week 2 action started, ESPN’s Bill Connelly’s all 766 rankings, which include teams from the NAIA through the Power Five, made the Lions a 34-point favorite. That would jump to 37 if three points for home field advantage is factored in. That number, of course, feels light. But also, books may be put up a smaller one with concerns about the Wildcats bleeding the clock in addition to Penn State’s two-week penchant of kicking field goals in spots of the field that they should be scoring touchdowns from.

Our best guess, then? Penn State will open as a 45-point favorite for its meeting with Villanova. Check back later this week to see how close we got.