Free NCAA Football Prediction: Penn State vs. Auburn Odds
Looking for Penn State Nittany Lions vs. Auburn Tigers free picks? College football betting sees the Nittany Lions taking on the Tigers on Saturday, September 17th, 2022, at Jordan-Hare Stadium in Auburn, AL. Cappers Picks provides complimentary handicapping picks all NCAA football season long so stay tuned for more FREE college football game predictions like this Nittany Lions Tigers free pick.
College Football Handicapping Analysis: Penn State Nittany Lions vs. Auburn Tigers
Penn State Nittany Lions (2-0) vs. Auburn Tigers (2-0)
Date: Saturday, September 17th, 2022
Time: 3:30 pm EST
Venue: Jordan-Hare Stadium
NCAA Football ATS Spread Odds: Nittany Lions -3 / Tigers +3 (Bet Now!)
NCAA Football Moneyline Odds: Nittany Lions -150 / Tigers +130
NCAA Betting Total Odds: Total O/U 47.5
An out-of-conference matchup in college football sees Penn State on the road to square off with Auburn.
These squads have both won their first two games of the season and are looking to earn a third straight on Saturday afternoon.
Coming into this game, the Nittany Lions are ranked as the #22 team in America while the Tigers are currently unranked.
Penn State opened up as a 2.5-point road favorite and that number is now up to 3. The total in this one has dropped from 48.5 to 47.5.
When these schools met a year ago, it was Penn State that picked up the 28-20 win so revenge is certainly on Auburn’s mind.
Penn State Nittany Lions
Penn State opened their season with an impressive victory over Purdue and then got a much softer landing last week against Ohio where they rolled over them by a score of 46-10.
I get that their last opponent was not all great, but it was hard not to like what I saw from this group. They played well in a lot of different ways and will need to keep that up when they hit the road in this tough environment.
Sean Clifford was effective against the Bobcats and he did a good job of spreading the ball to a bunch of different receivers. He finished the day going 19/27 for 213 yards and 1 touchdown.
Running back Nick Singelton really stood out on offense last week with 10 carries for 179 yards and 2 touchdowns. That was an encouraging sign after he was not all that effective in their game against the Boilermakers.
I do not expect this to be an easy game for Penn State here, but there is no question this is a very winnable game for them. They have the edge when it comes to quarterback and coach to go along with other key positions on the field and they just have to figure out a way to play a complete game on the road.
Auburn Tigers
Despite being a 2-0 football team, there is not exactly a ton of confidence in this program and there are lots of questions about what the future might hold for them.
The Tigers avoided a big upset last week when they held off San Jose State by a score of 24-16. Of course, getting the win is the important thing, but it was far from convincing and that is very troubling for a program that wants to be elite.
Even the best of the best can start off a bit slow against an inferior opponent, but they eventually figure it out and dominate. That clearly was not the case for them on Saturday as there did not appear to be a lot of urgency or focus from the Tigers.
Lots of fans were excited when it was announced that TJ Finley would be the starting quarterback for this squad, but it has been hard so far to be all that impressed by what he has done. The skillset is clearly there, but the accuracy and consistency are not there yet which is why there are a lot of people questioning how he will perform against a very talented defense.
Being able to pull off this win would be a big statement by this team and it might just be the kind of victory they need to really spark their season. In order to get the job done, they simply cannot play as sloppily as they did against the Spartans.
NCAA Football Handicapping Trends
- Nittany Lions are 1-6 ATS in their last 7 vs. the SEC.
- Nittany Lions are 13-6 SU in their last 19 games.
- The total has gone under in 4 of Auburn’s last 5 games.
- Auburn is 15-5 SU in their last 20 games at home.
4* Penn State vs. Auburn NCAA Betting Final Analysis:
A lot of my tone regarding Auburn was negative, but I actually do feel they can keep this game close on Saturday.
After not playing anybody good the first couple of games, sometimes a team really has to face a tough opponent in order to elevate their game and I do see that happening to a degree here.
Look, Penn State is still the better team and I would still expect them to walk out with a win, but I also do not totally love the idea of Sean Clifford going on the road in a hostile SEC environment.
Clearly getting Tank Bigsby involved early and often is going to be key in this game for an Auburn offense that has plenty of question marks. I do think the running game and Finley can be effective enough against a talented yet vulnerable defense in order to keep the game close in the end.
For me, laying the points on the road with Penn State is too much in this spot.
4* Penn State Nittany Lions vs. Auburn Tigers NCAA Betting Pick: Tigers +3
If you’re looking for more picks like this Penn State Nittany Lions vs. Auburn Tigers matchup we’ll be providing 4* free College football game predictions on the blog all season long, and check out our Experts for guaranteed premium & free CFB Football picks!
Register here for a FREE NCAA Football Betting Account Now for Daily Free Picks & More Special Offers!
