.jpg "College Football ATS Picks – Pittsburgh at Penn State")
The Penn State Nittany Lions enter 2017 as one of the most hyped teams in the country. Big things are expected for the Nittanies this year after they burst on the scene in what was considered a make or break year for James Franklin in 2016. They ended up reaching the Rose Bowl and had a wildly successful season, but the low point was undoubtedly when they lost to the Pittsburgh Panthers in the second week of the 2016 campaign. Now they get a chance for revenge.
Watch this regular season Week 2 matchup live on Saturday, September 9, 2017, at 3:30 p.m. ET at Beaver Stadium in Happy Valley, Pennsylvania. This game will be broadcast on ABC.
College Football Opening Odds at BookMaker.eu
Pittsburgh +19.5
Penn State -19.5
Odds Analysis
Pitt went on cruise control too early in its game against FCS Youngstown State last week. The Panthers took a 21-0 lead into halftime, but then stopped trying to be creative in an attempt to save things for the following week’s game against Penn State. That’s a mistake as Youngstown State has more wins over FBS teams than any other FCS school over their history. The Penguins roared back and took the game to overtime after not allowing the Panthers to score in the second half and nearly won it.
In-state rival Penn State cruised to a win over Akron in the meantime. The Zips never had a chance against the Nittany Lions, in a 52-0 rout. Akron managed to throw for less than three yards a pass attempt and averaged just a little bit more than two yards per carry. That’s a good sign for the defense after it gave up 52 points to USC in the Rose Bowl last year.
Last Meeting
When these two teams met last season, the Nittany Lions were short favorites on the road at Pitt. That didn’t stop Penn State fans from being overly confident heading into the game with one beat writer even saying that Pitt wasn’t even in Penn State’s class and shouldn’t be considered a rival.
The Panthers gashed the Nittany Lions on the ground with James Conner leading the way. Conner ran for 117 yards and was the primary back for a Pitt team that ran for 341 yards and three scores on the afternoon.
Penn State moved the ball well too in a losing effort. Trace McSorley had a coming out party, throwing for 332 yards on the Panthers defense. However, he faced relentless pressure from the Panthers front and was stopped behind the line of scrimmage often.
Matchup to Watch
Pittsburgh’s defense brings back only four starters from last year and doesn’t have near the talent that it did along the defensive line last season. The Panthers front performed well enough against the Penguins in the opener, but Penn State has one of the best running backs in the country in Saquon Barkley.
Barkley is one of the elite running backs in college football. He lit up Akron in the opener and is widely expected to be a first round pick in the NFL Draft this year. Barkley has a dominant offensive line to run behind and he could have a big day against Pitt.
Free ATS Pick
Matt Canada was seen as an offensive genius for what he did with Nathan Peterman, but Pitt’s gameplan against Penn State last year was traditional Pitt. Run the ball. The Panthers wore down the Penn State front over the course of the game by pounding the rock and have two running backs that can carry the load in Quadree Henderson and Qadree Ollison.
This is too many points for a rivalry game. Penn State is a better team, but isn’t that much better than Pittsburgh and the Panthers won’t let up in this one.
College Football Odds: Nittany Lions 34, Panthers 24
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