It is almost Saturday, which means it's almost time for kickoff between the Penn State and Arkansas in the 2021 Outback Bowl.
But before all that, our staff of college football experts make their predictions on the final score.
WHEN: Saturday at Noon EST, ESPN2
WHO: Penn State Nittany Lions vs. Arkansas Razorbacks
WHERE: Raymond James Stadium -- Tampa, Florida
PREDICTIONS FOR ARKANSAS GAME (ESPN FPI: 58.6% CHANCE FOR PSU TO WIN)
Richie Schnyderite - Nittany Nation Publisher (Penn State: 31 / Arkansas: 24)
This is going to be an interesting one for Penn State as they will be without their top player on offense in Jahan Dotson as well as several starters on the defensive side of the ball as well.
Now this Arkansas team is pretty damn talented, there is no denying that as they have multiple ranked wins as well as some hard fought games versus the likes of Alabama and Ole Miss. However they too are also missing a few key starters, including their top receiver Trelon Burks and sack leader Tre Williams.
With all that being said, I think the Nittany Lions find a way to pull this one out. This is a team that has fought tooth and nail all season long and despite taking some shots to the chin, have bounced back time and time again. I think Sean Clifford proves his worth and shows why he is the solidified starter heading into 2022, tossing a few scores as Penn State walks away a 7-10 point victor in this one.
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Clay Sauertieg Nittany Nation Beat Writer (Arkansas: 35/ Penn State: 24)
I don't think Penn State laying an egg is going to be an issue the way it was against Kentucky in 2019. A lot of players have been given chances to shine and will want to make a good impression headed into the offseason and subsequently the 2022 season. The problem, however, is that eventually the lack of quality depth on defense is just too much to handle. Penn State is down 3/4 of its starting defensive line from the season opener. It's down 2/3 of its starting linebacking corps, and it could well be down 3/4 of its starting defensive backfield if Ji'Ayir Brown and Tariq Castro-Fields don't play. That's just an absurd amount of attrition. I know Arkansas is missing two really impactful players in Burks and Williams, particularly the former, but I just think Penn State's attrition will be far too much to deal with.
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Dylan Callaghan-Croley - PSU Rivals Staff Writer (Arkansas 30 / Penn State: 23)
Saturday's Outback Bowl will be an intriguing game to watch from a purely analytical and objective standpoint. Penn State is dealing with bowl opt-outs for the first time and it will leave them with four of their top defensive players and their top weapon offensively. While the Nittany Lions are talented and have depth at a few positions that should allow them to have a chance to win this game, I'm not sure they'll have the experience needed to ultimately pull out a victory. Arkansas missing Burks is a huge win for Penn State but as Clay mentioned above, missing potentially nine of your starting 11 from the season opener is just a ridiculous amount of attrition to make up for. While the opportunity for young guys to get some serious playing time will be beneficial heading into 2022, it could also create quite a few issues for the Nittany Lions on Saturday. I think the offense will be able to keep the game close for the most part but I'm not quite sure the depleted defense will be able to ultimately get enough stops in this one.
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Andrew Hutchinson - HawgBeat Senior Editor (Arkansas: 31 / Penn State: 24)
If Penn State’s defense was at full strength, I might lean toward the Nittany Lions - especially with Burks out - but that isn’t the case. I feel like the Razorbacks are going to be able to run the ball with success and do just enough on defense to pull out what would be a massive victory for Arkansas’ program. That’s the other thing to consider, in my opinion - Arkansas has a ton of motivation for this game, while Penn State likely had its sights set higher than the Outback Bowl.
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