Penn State looks to continue their undefeated season as they face Northwestern. It is time to continue our College Football odds series with a Penn State-Northwestern prediction, pick, and how-to-watch.

Penn State enters the game at 4-0 on the season, and the games have not been close. Penn State started the season with a 38-15 win over West Virginia. That is one of just two games this year they have allowed a team to score two touchdowns on them, and the only time a team has scored more than 14 points. The next week it was a 63-7 thrashing of Delaware, followed by their worst offensive showing of the year. That was still a 30-point game as they beat Illinois 30-13. Last week, it was another stellar defensive performance as they took out Iowa 31-0.

Meanwhile, it started with an opening loss to Rutgers, in which the offense struggled heavily. They rebounded to beat UTEP 38-7, but the struggles returned the next week as they fell to Duke 38-14. Last week, it looked like more of the same against Minnesota. Northwestern was down 31-10 going into the fourth quarter. They would score three times in the fourth though, including a touchdown pass with just two seconds left in the game. In overtime, they held Minnesota to a field goal and then scored another touchdown to complete the comeback and win 37-34.

Here are the college football odds, courtesy of FanDuel. 

College Football Odds: Penn State-Northwestern Odds

Penn State: -26.5 (-110)

Northwestern: +26.5 (-110)

Over: 46.5 (-105)

Under: 46.5 (-115)

How to Watch Penn State vs. Northwestern

TV: Big Ten Network

Stream: Fox Sports App

Time: noon ET/ 9:00 AM PT

*Watch college football LIVE with fuboTV (click for a free trial)*

Why Penn State Will Cover The Spread

For Penn State to cover it start with Drew Allar. He is 84-125 passing on the season for 903 yards and eight touchdowns. He has done a wonderful job of being careful with the ball this year and making accurate throws. Allar does not have an interception on the year, and according to PFF has an adjusted completion percentage of 80 percent. Meanwhile, he has made just one turnover-worthy pass on the season. He has been protected well too. Allar has been sacked just three times this year, while he has scrambled to positive yardage seven times when under pressure.

Allar is also helping with his legs. He has just 33 yards scrambling this year but has 50 rushing with a touchdown. Penn State has had a solid year on the ground this year led by Kaytron Allen. Allen has run 63 times for 277 yards on the season with a touchdown. Allen has also caused seven missed tackles this year while having three carries over 15 yards.

One of the stars of the offense has been KeAndre Lambert-Smith. Lambert-Smith has brought in 21 of 27 targets hi this year while bringing in 286 yards and three touchdowns. He has been solid after the catch too, with 136 yards after the catch, averaging 6.4 after the catch per reception. Tyler Warren has been reliable for Drew Allar as well. The tight end has 12 receptions of 15 targets, coming away with 90 yards and four scores.

The defense for Penn State has also been stout. Dominic DeLuca has been a stud this year. He has a sack, two forced fumbles, a pass breakup, and an interception this year. Overall, Penn State is averaging almost four sacks per game this year. Further forced six fumbles this year and five interceptions. Penn State has also allowed just one passing touchdown this year.

Why Northwestern Will Cover The Spread

For Northwestern to cover, Ben Bryant is going to have to be efficient against this solid Penn State defense. This year he has thrown for 803 yards on 81-137 passing. He has thrown three interceptions though and another nine turnover-worthy passes. He has had to deal with a fair amount of pressure this year, being pressured 49 times on 156 dropbacks. This has led to ten sacks. There is hope for Northwestern and Bryant though. He was great against Minnesota, with an adjusted completion percentage of 71.7 percent and four touchdowns in the game.

Meanwhile, Northwestern is going to need a solid run game to control the clock. Cam Porter has been the primary back for Northwestern this year. He has run 49 times this year for 204 yards and a touchdown. The biggest issue for him has been blocking. This year he is getting less than a yard and a half beyond the line of scrimmage on average before making first contact. Northwestern is also not getting first downs on the ground from him. He has just ten this year in four games.

The defense will also need to step up in a big way in this game. First, Northwestern has to get Penn State in long-yardage situations and that starts in the running game. They have 83 stops for offensive failures in the run game this year on 129 attempts. That is led by Bryce Gallagher and Xander Mueller. Gallagher has 12 stops by Mueller has 11. Still, they need to be stout in this tackling. Northwestern has missed 31 tackles in the run game this year with Gallagher having eight of them. Northwestern also needs to be solid in the pass rush. They have seven sacks on the year, with Anto Saka having two and four more quarterbacks pressured. Northwestern has just 41 pressures in ten games and that will need to go up in this one to have a chance to cover.

Final Penn State-Northwestern Prediction & Pick

Northwestern has not been amazing on offense this year, minus a solid fourth quarter against Minnesota. Minnesota does not have the same level of talent that Penn State has though. The Penn State defense has shut down opponents completely. Last week, they were dominant against Iowa. They put up over 30 points for a fourth straight game, while holding their competition under 15. That trend is not going to change in this game. Northwestern does not have the offense to score more than two touchdowns against this Penn State defense, and Penn State will be able to score plenty against Northwestern. Penn State also needs to make sure their offense is in top shape in this game. After this game they have a bye and then UMass before the showdown with Ohio State. They do just that and get a big win.

Final Penn State-Northwestern Prediction & Pick: Penn State -26.5 (-110)