Penn State Nittany Lions (0-0) vs. West Virginia Mountaineers (0-0)
August 31, 2024 12:00 pm EDT
The Line: West Virginia Mountaineers +8.5 / Penn State Nittany Lions -8.5; Over/Under: +51.5
(Get latest betting odds)
The Penn State Nittany Lions and the West Virginia Mountaineers meet in week 1 college football action from Milan Puskar Stadium on Saturday afternoon. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best bets for this game. Here’s a West Virginia vs Penn State Prediction.
Penn State Recap
The Penn State Nittany Lions come into the 2024 season hoping to build on back-to-back double-digit win seasons after finishing 10-3 overall and 7-2 in Big Ten conference play. The season culminated with a 38-25 loss at the hands of Ole Miss in the Peach Bowl. Drew Allar is back under center for Penn State in 2024 after throwing for 2,631 yards, 25 touchdowns and 2 interceptions in his sophomore season. The receiving corps still has some solid pieces as well, with Tyler Warren back at tight end after logging 7 TD catches last year.
Leading receiver from 2023, Keandre Lambert-Smith has transferred out, but Julian Fleming is coming in from Ohio State to lineup alongside Kaden Saunders and Harrison Wallace III at wide receiver. Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen make up a formidable 1-2 option out of the backfield as well for the Nittany Lions.
On defense, Abdul Carter leads the pass rush after shifting towards a defensive end/edge rush role after playing linebacker last year and Dani Dennis-Sutton will also be expected to stuff the front line. Kobe King is also back after finishing 2nd on the Nittany Lions with 59 tackles last year. Kevin Winston is back in Penn State’s secondary after recording a team-high 61 total tackles while AJ Harris comes in from Georgia to take over at cornerback.
Why the Penn State Nittany Lions will win
- Penn State has won each of its last 18 games against non-AP-ranked teams.
- West Virginia has lost each of its last three games against opponents from the Big Ten Conference.
- Penn State has covered the spread in 12 of its last 13 games against non-AP-ranked teams.
- West Virginia has failed to cover the spread in each of its last three games against opponents from the Big Ten Conference.
West Virginia Recap
The West Virginia Mountaineers come into the 2024 campaign looking to keep forging ahead after being one of college football’s biggest surprises in 2023, finishing the year 9-4 overall including a 6-3 mark in Big 12 play. The shock came because head coach Neal Brown was on the hot seat coming into the year, but now Brown has his sights set on a double-digit win season for WVU for the first time since 2016.
The Mountaineers finished the year with a 30-10 win over North Carolina in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl. Garrett Greene is back at QB for the Mountaineers after throwing for 2,406 yards, 16 touchdowns and 4 interceptions while also rushing for 772 yards and 13 touchdowns on the ground.
CJ Donaldson is back at RB after putting up 798 rushing yards and 11 TDs and Jahiem White is hoping for another strong season in his sophomore year after logging a team-high 842 rushing yards and 4 scores. Devin Carter led the Mountaineers in receiving last year, but he’s gone. Have no fear though, Jaden Bray transfers in from Oklahoma State and Kole Taylor is back after leading WVU with 35 catches last season.
On defense, Sean Martin leads the WVU defensive front that led the Big 12 in sacks last season while Ben Cutter will be tasked with taking over the linebacking group from Lee Kpogba, with Kpogba done after last year. Aubrey Burks and Anthony Wilson will also lead the WVU secondary in what should be another fantastic season in Morgantown.
Why the West Virginia Mountaineers will win
- West Virginia has won each of its last 22 games against non-conference opponents at Milan Puskar Stadium.
- West Virginia has covered the spread in eight of its last nine games against non-conference opponents at Milan Puskar Stadium.
West Virginia vs Penn State Prediction
I’m leaning towards West Virginia and the points. There are a lot of folks that are high on Penn State this season and for good reason as the Nittany Lions once again have a solid roster and I think Drew Allar is going to get better and better with every rep he takes. However, the Mountaineers were no pushover last year, and while it’ll be interesting to see if 2023 was an anomaly or if there’s something there, Morgantown is a tough environment for any road team and I think with this new level of optimism after a solid 2023 season comes a lot of excitement especially for a top-10 team to come in for the season opener. I think West Virginia’s live here. Give me the Mountaineers and the points.
