Written By: Evan Perkins
The eighth-ranked Penn State Nittany Lions are on the road against the West Virginia Mountaineers for an exciting college football matchup on Saturday, August 31, at noon ET at Milan Puskar Stadium in Morgantown, West Virginia. The Nittany Lions are slight favorites for their point spread currently at -8.5 (-110).
The Nittany Lions went 10-3 overall and 7-2 in the Big 10 East last year. They are favored to have another great season, but they must show the world what they are capable of accomplishing.
They return with a lot of great offensive talent downfield, especially in receiving. Drew Allar should be able to find those receivers with no issues.
Defensively, they are coming off of one of the best seasons in recent memory. Last year, they led the nation in sacks and tackles for loss and should be another threat on this end.
The Nittany Lions must exploit matchups often and get ahead while they can. If they hang around too long in single digits, this could be a close battle until the end since the Mountaineers' defense has arguably improved.
The Mountaineers were a competitive team in the Big 12 last season, as they went 9-4 overall and 6-3 in the conference. They will be one of those teams that cause issues for most of the teams they play this year.
But can they do better than last year? This test will prove whether or not they can take over their conference. Their offensive line is excellent, but their defense is enough to hold their own against a formidable team.
Their secondary unit is a legitimate threat to teams that are not as accurate throwing downfield. This might be enough to scare off some big gains from the Nittany Lions, who are determined to let it fly.
If they can control the tempo, they have a shot at gaining momentum. Their key to success will be to have more control of the clock and move the chains.
MyBookie has you set for appealing Penn State Nittany Lions vs. West Virginia Mountaineers betting odds favoring the Nittany Lions. They are currently 8.5-point favorites to find success on the road.
Compared to market research, the Nittany Lions have a 77.9 percent success rate of landing the win. The spread here is almost too far, but that is why sports betting is appealing. The Nittany Lions should be able to win by a good margin, assuming they show off their offensive skills and make a statement with their defense.
