Penn State Nittany Lions vs West Virginia Mountaineers Prediction, Picks and Game Preview - 08/31/2024

Game Time: 12:00 pm ET, Saturday, August 31, 2024

Venue:  Mountaineer Field at Milan Puskar Stadium, Morgantown, WV

Where to Watch:  FOX

DraftKings:  Point Spread:  PSU -8.5, WVU +8.5; Over/Under:  51.5 points

Bet365:  Point Spread:  PSU -8.5, WVU +8.5; Over/Under:  51.5 points

BetMGM:  Point Spread:  PSU -8.5, WVU +8.5; Over/Under:  51.5 points

Penn State Nittany Lions:  0-0 (0-0) (Big Ten)

West Virginia Mountaineers:  0-0 (0-0) (Big 12)

Do not miss out on our expert handicapper analysis! Vegas Writer finished last season with a winning record in CFB, going 60-48-3 for +$7,410 PROFIT! Make sure you check out his picks and many more from the expert handicappers featured in the Shop Picks section.

Penn State Nittany Lions:  N/A

West Virginia Mountaineers:  N/A

Penn State finished last season with a 10-3 record overall and they had a 7-2 record in their conference games too.  They were 6-1 in their home games, 3-1 in their road games, and they were also 1-1 in their neutral site games last season, but they will be on the road for this season opener. Last season, their offense was averaging 36.2 points scored per game while their defense was allowing an average of 13.5 points per game. Their offense also averaged 399.8 yards per game while their defense was allowing an average of 247.6 yards per game. Drew Allar led the team in passing yards with 2631, Kaytron Allen led the team in rushing yards with 902, and Keandre Lambert-Smith led the team in receiving yards with 673.

 

 

 

West Virginia finished last season with a 9-4 record overall and they had a 6-3 record in their conference games too.  They were 5-1 in their home games, 3-3 in their road games, and they were also 1-0 in their neutral site games last season, but they will be at home for this season opener. Last season, their offense was averaging 31.5 points scored per game while their defense was allowing an average of 26.2 points per game. Their offense also averaged 434.6 yards per game while their defense was allowing an average of 380.8 yards per game. Garrett Greene led the team in passing yards with 2406, Jahiem White led the team in rushing yards with 842, and Devin Carter led the team in receiving yards with 501.

The current betting odds have West Virginia listed as an 8.5 point underdog in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. West Virginia had a surprising season last year, going 9-4 overall when they were expected to be the worst team in the Big 12. They ended up being one of the best teams in the conference and were 5-1 in their home games as it was very tough to beat them there. Penn State also had a great season with their 10-3 record overall and they are entering this season once again as a ranked team. Penn State did struggle with the 2 better teams in their conference though, losing to both Ohio State and Michigan, and those are hurdles they haven't been able to get over in recent years. Drew Allar is returning for another season, but Penn State's real strength is with their defense and they will need to lean on them in this game. West Virginia was a tough team to beat at home last season and they are going to be returning quite a few players from last season too, including their starting QB. Last year, West Virginia lost to Penn State 38-15 on the road, but they were right in that game until Penn State blew it open in the 2nd half. West Virginia will have the home advantage now and that is going to help them keep this game much closer as they won't allow Penn State to pull away like they did at home last season. The best way to place a bet here is on West Virginia to cover the spread in this game. 

Penn State West Virginia Prediction:  Our NCAAF Pick for Saturday, August 31, 2024 (12:00 pm ET start time) is PSU 24 WVU 17.

Don't miss our champion handicappers free picks and expert football picks today. And if you enjoyed this Penn State Nittany Lions West Virginia Mountaineers prediction, be sure to drop by every day for our weekly NCAAF predictions and previews.

Penn State Nittany Lions: 2-7 ATS in the first half of their last 9 games. 8-4 to the first half under in their last 12 games. 9-3 to the first quarter under in their last 12 games. 

West Virginia Mountaineers: 8-2 ATS in the first quarter of their last 10 games. 7-3 (+5.25 units) on the first quarter moneyline in their last 10 games. 6-0 (+6.65 units) on the first half moneyline in their last 6 home games. 

Penn State Nittany Lions:  P. Gonzalez (WR) - Undisclosed. J. Smolik (QB) - Undisclosed.

West Virginia Mountaineers:  None.

"How do we get ourselves in a position to have a bye? If not a bye, how do we put ourselves in a position to have a home game in Beaver Stadium, which would be an advantageous position with those elements at that time of the year?" - James Franklin on the new college football playoff format this season.

“It’s a challenge. But it’s a great opportunity for us on a national stage against a premier opponent. It’s a rivalry game in one sense but it’s a rivalry which hasn’t gone West Virginia’s way very often. This is the final game of the series and there’s nobody that our fans would want to beat than Penn State.” - Neal Brown on his team’s season opener against Penn State.

WR Fleming, Julian 

WR Wallace III, Harrison 

WR Saunders, Kaden 

TE Warren, Tyler 

QB Allar, Drew 

RB Singleton, Nicholas

WR Clement, Hudson

WR Fox, Preston 

WR Bray, Jaden

TE Taylor, Kole 

QB Greene, Garrett

RB White, Jahiem

Passing: N/A

Rushing: N/A

Receiving: N/A

Touchdowns: N/A

Passing: N/A

Rushing: N/A

Receiving: N/A

Touchdowns: N/A

Coaches:

Penn State Nittany Lions: James Franklin (11th season)

West Virginia Mountaineers: Neal Brown (6th season)