Penn State, which is receiving votes in the AP Top 25, will feel a level of urgency to get back on top. The Nittany Lions started last season 5-0 and were ranked fourth in the country before quarterback Sean Clifford got hurt in a loss on the road at Iowa. Check the Nitanny vs Boilmakers Score Prediction below.
Anyone making a Nittany vs. Boilermakers score prediction will see that loss sent Penn State into a tailspin as the Nittany Lions finished last season 7-6.
While Clifford is returning for another season, pundits still feel Penn State will need to make significant strides to compete in the always tough Big Ten East Division.
2021-22 NCAAF Schedule
Purdue closed last season on a nice run. The Boilermakers won five of their last six games on an NCAAF schedule, including overtime over Tennessee in the Music City Bowl.
While Penn State isn’t ranked, grabbing a win over the Nittany Lions would boost Purdue’s morale. The Boilermakers haven’t beaten Penn State since 2004.
Nittany vs. Boilmakers Matchup Preview
Anyone looking to see interesting NCAAF matchups can thank the Big Ten for scheduling conference games to kick off the season with Nitanny vs Boilmakers Score Prediction.
Penn State will take on Purdue at 8 p.m. Thursday at Ross-Ade Stadium. A lot of betters should be paying attention to the Nittany vs. Boilermakers score prediction next!
Penn State Nittany Lions vs. Purdue Boilermakers Odds Breakdown
Penn State is a four-point favorite. The Nittany Lions are -186 on the moneyline, while the Boilermakers are +150. The over/under has been set at 54.5 points.
Penn State Nittany Lions vs. Purdue Boilermakers Betting Preview
Nittany Lions
The Nittany Lions have won eight straight meetings with Purdue, dating back to 2004. Penn State leads the all-time series 15-3-1.
Clifford: A Solid Quarterback
Despite having his season last year derailed by injuries, anyone making NCAAF picks can see that Clifford is a solid veteran quarterback.
Clifford completed 61 percent of his passes for 3,107 yards and 21 touchdowns last year. Penn State will be desperate to get more out of its offense this season.
The Nittany Lions scored 25.0 points per game last year, which ranked No. 90 in FBS. Penn State also struggled to extend drives on third down, only covering 38.6 percent of its opportunities.
Nittany Lions Performance Recap
Defensively, the Nittany Lions were solid last season. Penn State finished with a +6 turnover margin and only allowed opponents to score 17.3 points per game against them last season.
Anyone making Nittany vs. Boilermakers score prediction will also see Penn State coach James Franklin feeling the pressure as well. The Nittany Lions have struggled over the past two seasons, finishing 11-11 after going 11-2 in 2019.
Boilermakers
Anyone seeking to make a Nittany Lions vs. Boilermakers prediction will have to take a pause based on Purdue’s performance last season.
The Boilermakers finished 9-4 and scored two victories over AP Top 5 programs. Now Purdue will bring back 17 starters from the 2021 team, which finished with the second-most wins in program history.
O’Connell’s 2021 Performance
The Purdue Boilermakers will be led by quarterback Aidan O’Connell, who played his best football down the stretch last season.
O’Connell finished last season with 28 touchdown passes and he threw 19 of those scoring passes in the final five games of the season.
In five seasons under coach Jeff Brohm, Purdue has consistently focused on airing the ball out. NCAAF odds are looking high for the Boilermakers.
Having such a fierce passing attack has led to the Boilermakers developing into a big-play team. Purdue had 11 plays that went 50 yards or more last season.
Boilermakers Defense
Purdue will return two players, Payne Durham and Broc Thompson, who each caught three passes of 30 yards or more last season.
The Boilermakers had a solid defense last season. They allowed 20.5 points per game, which was 22nd-best in the country. Purdue allowed opposing offenses to gain 342.8 yards per game.
Nittany Lions vs. Boilermakers Betting Pick and Prediction
One of the great confidence boosters with how the Big Ten schedules games is that both teams are set up for a valuable victory in Week 1.
For the losing side, however, it will also start to set off some major anxiety. Penn State is the more highly-regarded program and will want to show they can win behind Clifford.
Boilermakers Offense vs. Nittany Lions Defense: Which Is More Profitable to Bet On?
The Boilermakers’ offense will want to show they were more than a flash of the plan at the end of last season.
If O’Connell and company can put up big numbers against the Nittany Lions’ defense, which is traditionally strong, Purdue may be able to spring an upset.
However, this is a spot where a motivated Penn State team should be able to figure out a way to clamp down on Purdue’s offense and score a late win.
Final Score Prediction: Penn State 40, Purdue 21
Matchup Pick: Nittany Lions -3.5 (-110)
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