Wildcats vs Nittany Lions NCAA Football Spread/Handicapping
The Wildcats are one of two teams in the Big Ten still with a perfect record. Only one of those wins was in conference but they have an excellent chance to keep the momentum going against a Penn State team in the middle of a roller coaster of a season.
#22 Northwestern Wildcats (5-0) vs Penn State Nittany Lions (3-2)
Saturday October 6
Beaver Stadium – State College, PA
12:00PM
Moneyline: Penn State -150, Northwestern +130 at TopBet.eu
Spread: Penn State -3.5
O/U: 48
ATS Matchup Stats | Gambling Insight! | Buy Ray’s Picks!
Northwestern
Northwestern hasn’t knocked off any ranked teams but 4 of their 5 victories are at least against teams from other BCS conferences.
They have a great chance this weekend in Happy Valley.
Where in the world is Kain Colter? The sometimes thrower, always exciting, athlete has become a key to the Northwestern offense. I know it was against Indiana but last week he had 161 yards rushing (with 4 TDs) and 131 yards receiving.
GRAB OUR BEST Expert CFB Picks for 2012 NCAA FOOTBALL Betting! —–>
He has also completed 66% of his passes when he takes the ball from under center this season. If they can get him untracked at Penn State then the offense can flourish again.
Northwestern has not had a lot of success against Penn State in the recent past. The last time they visited Happy Valley they were up 21-0 but eventually frittered away the lead.
In fact the Cats have lost 5 straight at PSU. The fact that this is the smallest number in 5 years says a lot about how these teams are coming into this game though.
The upset potential is definitely there.
Penn State
After droppings its first two games it would have been easy for this team to pack in this season. [soliloquy id=”82219″] Yet they have won their last three (3-0 ATS) all double digit victories including a thumping at Illinois last weekend.
The overall statistics are not great but it seems this team is rallying and won’t be kicked around even though this is a lost season as they are not eligible for any type of post season play.
The brightest spot for the Nittany Lions this year has to be the play of senior QB Matt McGloin.
The least heralded QB on the roster he has been much improved with still room to grow. He and receiver Allen Robinson have become maybe the best pass-catch combo in the Big Ten.
Penn State is really gutting it out these days and McGloin has proved to be just the right kind of leader for this team this year.
Maybe no team will be harder to predict from week to week this year than Penn State.
There is still some talent on this team but depth is a real concern…and so is motivation, even though coach Bill O’Brien has done a nice job so far bringing them back from a rough start.
This team has lost two home games each of the last two season and this is another spot where they might go down in front of the home faithful.
Especially with the early start time.
Spread Pick: Northwestern +3.5
O/U Pick: Over
Score Prediction: Northwestern 27 – Penn State 24
