The Penn State Nittany Lions are 21-1 in NCAA betting odds to win the national championship this season even though they don’t have a proven quarterback. It would be hard to find a team move overvalued than Penn State in college football betting.
NCAA betting odds are low on Penn State because they are in the Big 10 but the Nittany Lions would have to win three very difficult road games to go unbeaten in 2010 and that is probably what it would take for them to play in the national championship game. The Nittany Lions second game of the season is at Alabama and Penn State is going to be a big underdog in that game. Even if they pull of an unlikely upset in that game they would have to win at Iowa and Ohio State down the road. Winning on the road with a veteran quarterback is tough enough but with an inexperienced quarterback it is very difficult.
The Nittany Lions are just a few weeks away from their season opener against Youngstown State and they still haven’t decided on a starting quarterback. The battle is between sophomores Kevin Newsome and Matt McGloin and freshmen Robert Bolden and Paul Jones. Newsome was second on the depth chart last year so he is probably the front runner to win the job. Head coach Joe Paterno has said that the team might have a decent quarterback by the end of the season but it is very unlikely they will get great play out of the position.
Penn State should have little difficulty winning their opener against Youngstown State but they are likely to be double-digit underdogs against Alabama in their second game of the season. The Nittany Lions then get two easy games against Kent State and Temple before going to Iowa. It is likely they will be 3-2 after that game. They then host Illinois and go to Minnesota before a home game vs. Michigan. The Nittany Lions could win all three of those games to go 6-2 of they could lose one and be 5-3. They should beat Northwestern at home before a likely loss at Ohio State. They finish up at Indiana and then host Michigan State. A 9-3 or 8-4 regular season is likely for Penn State and that type of record does not put them in the national title picture for 2010.