Auburn Tigers at Penn State Nittany Lions Betting Preview
It will be a battle of top-25 teams on Saturday as the No. 22 Auburn Tigers (2-0) take on the No. 10 Penn State Nittany Lions (2-0). The Nittany Lions will host this one at Beaver Stadium, with kickoff scheduled for 7:30 pm ET.
The Tigers have started the season with back-to-back 60-point games after a 62-0 win over Alabama State last week. In the win, Bo Nix threw for 108 yards and a couple touchdowns.
Penn State is also off to a great start. After beating No. 18 Wisconsin in their opener, they followed with a 44-13 win over Ball State in Week 2. In the win, Sean Clifford threw for 230 yards and a touchdown while rushing for another.
Penn State is the favorite in this one playing at home. They are -225 to win while the Tigers’ moneyline sits at +176. The spread features Auburn +5.5, and the over/under for total points is 52.5. (-110).
More Odds
Currently, Penn State has the third-best odds of winning the Big Ten Championship at +700. Auburn has the sixth-best odds of winning the SEC Championship at just +5000.
In terms of the National Championship, the Nittany Lions are +4000 to win it all while the Tigers are +15000.
By The Numbers
In their last nine games, Auburn is 6-3, both straight up and against the spread. They are 7-0 against the spread in their last seven games in September.
Penn State is 6-0 both straight up and against the spread in their last six games. In their last five games in September, they are a perfect 5-0.
Auburn To Face Toughest Competition Yet
Through two weeks, the Auburn Tigers have outscored their opponents a whopping 122-10. Despite the drastic point differential, Week 3 will feature their first true competition as they travel to Penn State.
Leading the way for the Tigers under center is junior quarterback Bo Nix. On the season, he has thrown for 383 yards (74.4 completion percentage) with five touchdowns and no interceptions.
He has spread the wealth relatively evenly, but his top receivers thus far are Shedrick Jackson (seven receptions, 90 yards) and Demetris Robertson (six receptions, 89 yards, two touchdowns).
On the ground, head coach Bryan Harsin deploys a two-headed monster in Jarquez Hunter and Tank Bigsby. To date, Hunter has rushed for 257 yards and two scores, while Bigsby has 241 rushing yards and two scores.
Nittany Lions Look To Take Down Second Ranked Opponent
After dismissing Wisconsin earlier in the season, the Nittany Lions will look to take down their second top-25 team on Saturday.
Sean Clifford has been fantastic thus far under center for head coach James Franklin. Through just two games, he has thrown for 477 yards and two touchdowns. Clifford has also rushed for 71 yards and another score.
Clifford’s top receiver to date has been Jahan Dotson. He has ten receptions for 167 yards and two touchdowns.
On the ground, junior Noah Cain has led the way with 28 rushes for 117 yards and two scores.
Take Penn State To Win At Home
While Auburn’s numbers have been impressive thus far, it is hard to get an accurate gauge of their abilities, given the subpar talent they have faced. On Saturday, we are bound to get a clearer image as they take on a really strong Penn State team.
Especially playing at home, it is hard not to take Penn State, who has already shown they can take down top-ranked opponents as they did with Wisconsin in Week 1.
While taking Auburn and the points is enticing, take Penn State to win at home, where they are 13-3 in their last 16 home games.
