Penn State vs Rutgers: Nittany Lions open as near three touchdown favorite

Lost in the news of Penn State firing offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich, the Penn State Nittany Lions opened on Sunday afternoon as a near three-touchdown favorite over the Rutgers Scarlet Knights with the spread set at 19.5 points.

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Penn State will take on Rutgers this Saturday at 12:00 p.m. with the game televised nationally on FS1. The Nittany Lions will look to bounce back from their second loss of the season, a 24-15 setback to the Michigan Wolverines behind another hopeless offensive effort which ultimately led to Yurcich's firing.

Rutgers sits at 6-4 on the season but has lost back-to-back games to Ohio State (35-16) and Iowa (22-0). Despite losses in their past two games, the Scarlet Knights have been one of the best teams in the Big Ten this season, with three of their four losses coming to ranked teams including a 31-7 loss to Michigan earlier this season.

Penn State is 31-2 all-time against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights and has won 16 straight since 1989. The Scarlet Knights last win over the Nittany Lions came in 1988, a 21-16 win in State College under then head coach Dick Anderson.