Penn State-Indiana Prediction

Here is our Penn State-Indiana betting prediction, a rematch of one of last season’s wildest games. The Nittany Lions lost to Indiana in overtime last year, after a pair of late two-point conversions. That helped springboard the Hoosiers into becoming a national darling while the Nittany Lions were, frankly, not very good.

But things have returned to normal this year.

Penn State looks like they are going to be a playoff contender this year, after winning at Wisconsin and beating Auburn already this season. And Indiana? Well, they look like Indiana. Michael Penix has not been all that effective, they faded down the stretch in a loss at home to Cincinnati and were absolutely bludgeoned when they visited Iowa in the opener.

Longtime college sports writer Rob Dauster, the co-founder of The Field of 68 and The Field of 12 Network is here to break down the tantalizing matchup and provide his Michigan State-Nebraska prediction for Week 4 of the college football season.

WEEK 5: WEEKEND GUIDE | MICHIGAN-WISCONSIN

PENN STATE-INDIANA PREDICTION:

#4 PENN STATE (4-0) vs. INDIANA (2-2)
GAME: 7:30 p.m. ET (ABC)
MONEYLINE: Penn State (-500), Indiana (+370)
SPREAD: Penn State (-12.5)
TOTAL: 53.5

If there has been one thing missing from Penn State this season, it has been their ability to pressure the quarterback. This is a program that has prided themselves on being one of the best pass-rushing teams in college football, and through four games, Penn State has just six sacks.

Indiana’s offensive line has been vulnerable. Michael Penix has not been as effective as expected. If Penn State can get pressure, they have the defensive playmakers to keep the Hoosiers at bay. I expect that to happen. Penix has thrown six interceptions in four games this season. I would not be surprised to see that number rise on Saturday night.

The biggest question that I have about Penn State right now is offensively. Sean Clifford has been really good through four weeks this season, particularly after a slow start against the Badgers in the opener. He seems to really be taking to this new, uptempo offense, and while there have been some slow starts to games this year, Clifford is playing like one of the best quarterbacks in this conference.

I think that is going to continue here on Saturday. My biggest concern is that Penn State has Iowa next weekend, a game that might determine the Big Ten champion, but I’m not worried about them looking ahead. They’re in the mix for a playoff spot. They are taking on a team that is not a traditional football power that embarrassed the Nittany Lions last year. That home crowd is going to be raucous, and given Penn State’s ability to disrupt defensively, I’m not terribly worried about a garbage time TD burning us on the backdoor. My best guess is that this is going to end up being a dud of a primetime game, and that Penn State wins by 20.