Northwestern and Penn State play on Saturday in a game that will be regionally televised on ABC with the Nittany Lions a 6-point favorite in college football betting. Northwestern actually is the team with the better record but Penn State still gets respect from the odds makers because they are at home.
Persa to Play
The Wildcats got good news this week when quarterback Dan Persa was cleared to play. He suffered a concussion last week in the win over Indiana but cleared to practice and play this week. How important is Persa to Northwestern? He is second in the country in completion percentage (74.4) and ninth in quarterback rating (162.7).
Paterno Going for 400
If you want to know the reason that ABC is doing this game it is because Penn State head coach Joe Paterno is going for win #400. It seems like Paterno has been coaching forever so perhaps the win mark is not that great but everyone will still get excited about it. Last week the Nittany Lions won 41-31 against Michigan as Evan Royster rushed for over 100 yards and quarterback Matt McGloin threw for 250 yards in his first career starts. He was starting in place of freshman Rob Bolden, who suffered a concussion in the previous game against Minnesota. Paterno said that Bolden will start if cleared to play.
Why is Penn State Favored?
Is there a reason that Penn State is favored in this game at the Sbg global sportsbook other than reputation? This is a Penn State team that has done nothing for years under old man Paterno who are hanging on to get his 400th win. They are not a good team and Paterno is not a good coach. Northwestern has won six straight on the road and they have the ability to make it seven in a row on Saturday. The betting stats really point to the Wildcats. They are 9-0 against the NCAA online betting number in their last 9 games as a road underdog. And keep in mind that Penn State is 1-5 ATS in their last 6 games as a home favorite. The only thing that points to Penn State is the series history as they are 4-1 ATS in the last five meetings vs. Northwestern but this year’s Wildcat team is better than in year’s past.