Bowling Green vs Penn State Prediction College Football Picks 9/7/24

The Bowling Green Falcons and the Penn State Nittany Lions meet Saturday in college football action from Beaver Stadium. Here’s a Bowling Green vs Penn State prediction. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best Bowling Green vs Penn State pick. We will examine:

The Bowling Green Falcons’ recent form and player performance

The Penn State Nittany Lions’ recent form and player performance

Recent betting trends and streaks involving the Bowling Green Falcons

Recent betting trends and streaks involving the Penn State Nittany Lions

Recent betting trends in games played between Bowling Green and Penn State

A summary that ties it all together and produces a favorable betting outcome for the Bowling Green vs Penn State game

Bowling Green Falcons Betting Preview

Last year Bowling Green carved out a 7-6 overall record with a 5-3 finish in MAC games. The Falcons posted a third-place effort in the East Division behind Miami-OH and Ohio. In the Quick Lane Bowl, Bowling Green fell 30-24 to Minnesota.

In their first action of the 2024 campaign, the Falcons didn’t have too many issues with Fordham. Bowling Green scored in every quarter during a 41-17 victory. QB Connor Bazelak had 168 pass yards, but Terion Stewart did most of the work with 161 rush yards and three scores.

Penn State Nittany Lions Betting Preview

Over on the Penn State side, they posted a 10-3 run in 2023 along with a 7-2 mark in a tough Big Ten. The Lions were still behind Michigan and Ohio State in the East Division, however. Penn State finished with a 38-25 loss to Ole Miss in the Peach Bowl.

Matched up against West Virginia in their 2024 opener, the Lions scored 20 points in the second quarter on the way to a 34-12 win. Drew Allar threw for 216 yards and three scores. Nick Singleton led the rushers on 13 carries for 114 yards and a TD.

Why the Penn State Nittany Lions will win

• Penn State has won each of its last 23 September games against non-AP-ranked teams.
• Bowling Green has lost 13 of its last 14 matches when playing with a rest advantage.
• Penn State has covered the spread in eight of its last nine games in September.
• Bowling Green has failed to cover the spread in five of its last six games against AP-ranked teams.

Why the Bowling Green Falcons will win

• Bowling Green has covered the spread in four of its last five games.

Total Points Facts

• Five of Penn State’s last six games against non-conference opponents at Beaver Stadium have gone OVER the total points line.
• Four of Bowling Green’s last five road games in September have gone OVER the total points line.

Matchup/League Facts

• Penn State rank T1st among FBS teams for Q2 win percentage this season (1.000).
• Penn State rank T1st among FBS teams for Q3 win percentage this season (1.000).
• Bowling Green rank T1st among FBS teams for Q2 win percentage this season (1.000).
• Bowling Green rank T1st among FBS teams for H1 win percentage this season (1.000).

Bowling Green vs Penn State Prediction

I’m going to take a stab at Bowling Green. Probably not messing with it, though. The Falcons posted a great effort on the ground in their opener, notching 305 rush yards and 22 first downs. Bowling Green’s defense gave up 401 total yards (219 passing) but held the Rams to just 4-of-16 on third-down tries.

As for Penn State, in their first game, they had a few issues with West Virginia. The defense really shined with three takeaways, 19 first downs, and 4-of-14 on third downs allowed. The Penn State offense was very balanced as well with 235 passing yards and 222 on the ground (457 total). It’ll be a sizable task for Bowling Green to get in there and cover but I think it’s doable if the Falcons play well.