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The Bowling Green Falcons and Penn State Nittany Lions meet in a battle of two undefeated teams. Bowling Green took care of Fordham in their opener, while Penn State had a bit of a tougher test against West Virginia. It is time to continue our college football odds series with a Bowling Green-Penn State prediction and pick.
Bowling Green had a 7-5 record last season before losing to Minnesota in the Quick Lane Bowl. They finished third in the East Division of the MAC behind Miami-OH and Ohio with a 5-3 record. The Falcons defeated Fordham 41-17 in their first game, with their rushing game leading the way. Terion Stewart was the workhorse, tallying 161 yards and three touchdowns. Quarterback Connor Bazelak didn't have as good of a night, recording just 168 passing yards.
Penn State could be the biggest benefactor of the new-look Big Ten and College Football Playoff structure. The Nittany Lions finished 7-2 in the Big Ten last season but were third in the East Division behind Michigan and Ohio State. Penn State could be a team that sneaks into the playoff with an at-large bid if they have another 10-3 season. The opener was a good start, as they defeated West Virginia 34-12. Drew Allar had three touchdowns, but Nick Singleton was the leading rusher with 114 yards and a touchdown.
Here are the College Football odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
College Football Odds: Bowling Green-Penn State Odds
Bowling Green: +35.5 (-110)
Moneyline:
Penn State: -35.5 (-110)
Moneyline:
Over: 48.5 (-115)
Under: 48.5 (-105)
How to Watch Bowling Green-Penn State
Time: noon ET/9:00 AM PT
TV: Big Ten Network
Stream: fuboTV (Free Trial)
Why Bowling Green Could Cover The Spread/Win
It's a problem when handicapping games in the season's early portions. Teams play against different calibers, making it difficult to compare. Bowling Green's Week 1 opponent in Fordham doesn't tell us much about how they will do against Penn State. However, it's promising that they could get 305 rushing yards and 22 first downs. The Falcons will run the ball, which will wear out the clock and give them a better chance of covering this large spread. Penn State will score points, but will it be enough to cover 34.5 points?
Why Penn State Could Cover The Spread/Win
Bowling Green had an unbelievable showing with their rushing game in Week 1. They had 305 rushing yards against a weak Fordham defense. The Penn State defense performed well against West Virginia, so getting the offense going won't be easy for Bowling Green. The Mountaineers showed some resistance with a couple of explosive pass plays, but Bowling Green doesn't have that style of offense. They will try to meticulously drive the play down the field which will be difficult against a Big Ten defense. The Nittany Lions allowed just 3.5 yards/rush to CJ Donaldson in Week 1.
Bowling Green's defense came up big against Fordham on third downs, but they still allowed the poor offense to tally 401 total yards. The Nittany Lions' game plan will be for Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen to wear down Bowling Green's defense with their rushing attack and let Drew Allar air the ball out. Allar had 216 yards and three touchdowns on 11 completions in Week 1, and three wide receivers had an average reception of over 20 yards.
Final Bowling Green-Penn State Prediction & Pick
Bowling Green will run the clock out with their rushing attack, but they may not get as many lengthy drives as expected. The Penn State defense should match up well, and get their quick-strike offense back on the field with an opportunity to score plenty of points. Penn State's playoff chances are greater with the new format, but they'll want to dominate these matchups to improve their resume for an at-large bid. Take the Nittany Lions to pull away and run up the score in this game.
Final Bowling Green-Penn State Prediction & Pick: Penn State -35.5 (-110)
