8/28/2023 football Edit

Penn State vs West Virginia: Nittany Lions enter game week as big favorites

Dylan Callaghan-Croley • Happy Valley Insider

Editor

Game week is officially here for Penn State and the Nittany Lions are entering the week as huge favorites over the West Virginia Mountaineers.

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As of Sunday morning, the Nittany Lions are a consensus 20.5 point favorite over the Mountaineers, up four points from the opening line of 16.5 points back in May. The over-under for the contest is currently at 52.5 points, a slight drop from its opening of 56.5 points. Penn State is also an overwhelming -1400 on the money line.

Last season, Penn State was 9-3-1 against the spread, the best record ATS in the entirety of the Big Ten. That being said, when favored by more than 14 points last season, the Nittany Lions were just 2-2-1, covering an 18.5 point spread against Rutgers and a 28-point spread against Ohio.

West Virginia was 6-6 against the spread last season but was never more than an 8.5-point underdog throughout the year. As an underdog overall, they were 4-5 against the spread and 3-6 straight up.

West Virginia enters 2023 looking to secure a winning season after going 5-7 last year under head coach Neal Brown. The former Troy head coach is in his fifth year with the program, collecting a 22-25 record through his first four seasons.

The Nittany Lions are coming off their fourth 11th win season under head coach James Franklin and a Rose Bowl victory over Utah. They also finished top-10 in the AP Poll for the fourth time since 2016.