Week 4: Penn State vs Central Michigan 9/24/22 College Football Picks, Predictions, Odds

The Penn State Nittany Lions and Central Michigan Chippewas clash Saturday night in week 4 college football action from Beaver Stadium. Central Michigan played Bucknell in their last outing. In that matchup the Chippewas posted a huge shutout win. As for Penn State, they’re coming off a game versus Auburn. The Nittany Lions ended up taking a blowout victory as well. Check back all season long for free college football picks at Sports Chat Place.

Central Michigan did pretty well against a great Oklahoma State team in their opener, scoring in every quarter on the way to a 58-44 loss. Game two ended up another loss: the Chippewas gave up 31 first-half points in a 38-24 loss to South Alabama. 

In game three versus Bucknell, the Chippewas scored just seven points in the first half but eventually got going in a 41-0 blowout win. QB Daniel Richardson managed 198 yards with two scores, and Lew Nichols bagged 166 yards and two TDs on 30 carries.

Over on the Penn State side, they played a nail-biter of an opener versus Purdue. The Nittany Lions were able to hold on for the 35-31 win, though. Game two against Ohio went a lot smoother; Penn State posted a 46-10 blowout victory in that one. 

Matched up against Auburn back on Saturday, the Nittany Lions didn’t have a ton of trouble. Penn State outscored the opposition 27-6 in the second half in a nice 41-12 victory. Sean Clifford threw for 178 yards on 14-of-19 passing, and Nicholas Singleton had two rush scores with 124 yards. 

The Chippewas are 4-0 ATS in their last four after a straight-up win and 7-3 ATS in their last 10 road games. CMU is 1-3-1 ATS in their last five in September. 

Meanwhile, the Lions are 5-0 ATS in their last five versus the MAC and 14-6 ATS in their last 20 overall. Penn State is 13-5-1 ATS in their last 19 non-conference games. 

PICK: I’m probably staying with Penn State. The Nittany Lions got some big plays out of their defense in the Auburn game, coming up with four turnovers and holding the Tigers to just 5-of-15 on third downs. Penn State posted 477 total yards with zero turnovers on the offensive side in a solid all-around effort. 

As for Central Michigan, they did exactly what they were supposed to do versus an overmatched Bucknell team on Saturday, cruising to 529 total yards and 29 first downs. Needless to say, this matchup will be significantly more difficult, though.