The Penn State Nittany Lions are 25-1 long shots in NCAA betting to win the national title this season. It could be a historic year for Penn State with head coach Joe Paterno going for his 400th win and running back Evan Royster going for the school rushing record. It may not be a successful season though for Penn State in college football betting unless they find someone to play quarterback.
NCAA betting odds are probably a little bit low on Penn State considering they would probably have to go unbeaten for a shot at a national title. That seems extremely unlikely considering they have to go to Alabama, Iowa and Ohio State this season. The Nittany Lions could easily lose all three of those contests.
Penn State has to find a quarterback since Daryll Clark is gone. Kevin Newsome will probably get the job and he is likely to hand off to Royster a lot this season. Royster needs just 482 yards rushing to break the school’s all-time mark. The Nittany Lions don’t have much other than Royster which is why they are likely to struggle against good teams.
Penn State’s defense is normally good and that should be the case again in 2010. Jack Crawford leads the defensive line while Devon Sill could be very good if he stays healthy. Most of the line backing crew returns and Penn State will need them to play well since the secondary is a concern. D’Anton Lynn is a solid corner as is Stephon Morris but there is very little depth behind them. Penn State doesn’t have a great kicker or punter so the special teams will be a problem again in 2010.
The Nittany Lions really should be 50-1 or more to win the national title this season. They have a coach in Joe Paterno who should have retired a decade ago, a one-dimensional offense and an average defense. The Nittany Lions are not as good as Iowa or Ohio State and they will do well to finish third in the Big 10 this season. Penn State will likely lose at least three of their five road games and perhaps four of five. That is too many losses even if Penn State wins all of their home games in 2010.