On the whole, Penn State head coach James Franklin is highly underrated and underappreciated. Franklin took over an outmanned and underperforming Penn State program in 2014. Yet by 2016, he put the Nittany Lions into the Rose Bowl. PSU was Big Ten champions with a final national ranking of 7th. It was the first top ten finish for PSU since 2009. Following that betting on College Football Season, Penn State won the Fiesta Bowl with a final national ranking of 8th. At that time, the sky seemed the limit. Except it wasn’t.
2021 Penn State Nittany Lions Betting Odds
| Lions | Odds |
|---|---|
| Odds to win National Championship: | +4000 |
| Odds to win Big Ten Conference: | +700 |
| 2021 Regular Season Win Total: | +9 |
2021 Penn State Nittany Lions Team Overview
In 2018, Penn State was a respectable 9-4 with a final national ranking of 17th. And then, in 2019, the Nittany Lions finished 11-2. PSU won the Cotton Bowl with a final national ranking of 9th. However, Franklin and the program fell far short of offshore betting expectations in a pandemic plagued 4-5 seasons of 2020. Franklin was as miserable as his players. To illuminate, he was separated from his family all year. And he took a lot of heat from upset fans and gamblers.
Last year James Franklin made a bold stroke by hiring offensive coordinator Kirk Ciarrocca away from the Minnesota Golden Gophers. Minnesota was coming off their best campaign in 57 years. However, Ciarrocca lasted just one year before being shown the door. In his place arrives Mike Yurcich, from the Texas Longhorns. Correlate Yurich comes from Tom Herman’s staff that was belatedly fired after Texas won its bowl game.
Penn State had nothing but bad luck in 2020. Specifically, injuries and opt-outs decimated the roster. Almost by accident, the Nittany Lions should get a break from the Football Gods in 2021. That is among the reasons for the optimism on Mount Nittany heading into summer camp. Fashion that few teams have two consecutive seasons where everything goes wrong.
Although Penn State ranked 2nd in the Big Ten for total offense last year, they were not a team that blew open big plays. It was a plodding effort often undone by 17 turnovers on the season. Quarterback Sean Clifford was the starter for Penn State’s 11-2 finish in 2019. As a result, his return sparks expectations for a major comeback campaign in 2021.
Most important of all, gamblers see recruiting as the reason for a Penn State bounce back. Although Franklin is often trashed for his gameday management, nobody denies his elite recutting prowess. The cupboard is never bare at Penn State, making for a potentially big season every year.
2021 Penn State Nittany Lions Schedule Highlights
First-week action is tough with a game at Wisconsin. Wisconsin is deep and favored to win the Big Ten West Division.
On September 18, the Auburn Tigers will visit Penn State in one of the top interconference games of the year. More empathically, Auburn is a perennial Betting on College Football SEC contender.
October 9 brings a tough road game at the nasty Iowa Hawkeyes. To show, Kinnick Stadium is one of the most difficult venues for a road team to win at in the Big Ten.
Of major concern is the matchup at Ohio State on October 30. In comparison, the revenge-minded Michigan Wolverines come calling on November 13.
2021 Penn State Nittany Lions SBG Best Bet: Penn State Under 9 Wins.