College Football Predictions: Penn St. vs. Northwestern Preview

Written by Jake Thompson
Saturday, 22 October 2011 18:38

Predictions are ready on the final score in the college football game between Penn State and Northwestern.

The #22 Penn State Nittany Lions (6-1) and the Northwestern Wildcats (2-4) are all set for their matchup, and our preview will breakdown the game and provide predictions on the outcome.  The Penn State vs. Northwestern game has a start time of 7:00 PM ET and can be seen live on the BTN channel.

The Nittany Lions have won 4 straight against Northwestern, including a 35-21 home win last year.  Penn State has managed to cover the point spread in their last 3 against the Wildcats, and the Nittany Lions are currently 4-point road favorites according to the college football odds at Legends Sportsbook.  Although Penn State has dominated recently, it is worth mentioning that the home team has covered the point spread in 9 of the last 12 meetings between these schools.

It’s tough to know what to think of Penn State this year since they lost to Alabama in the only game they’ve played against legit competition.  The Nittany Lions hold wins over average teams like Indiana State, Temple, Eastern Michigan, Indiana, Iowa, and Purdue, and they’ve covered the point spread just once all season.  Penn State has a nice mix of the run and the pass on offense, and it appears they’ll find some room to run against a Northwestern defense that gives up 172.2 rushing yards a game.

The Wildcats have wins over Boston College and Eastern Illinois but are on a 4-game losing streak with losses against Army, Illinois, Michigan, and Iowa.  Northwestern’s offense looks very good and they are averaging 223.5 passing and 181.8 rushing yards a game this year.  They’ll be going up against a Penn State defense that has given up just 264.1 total yards a game, so something will have to give when these squads meet up today.

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Predictions call for the Penn State vs. Northwestern game to be a close one and much depends on how well the Wildcats can defend the rushing attack.  Games against Michigan and Army have made their defensive statistics look worse than they are in reality, and I think Northwestern will put up a strong effort at home.  The Wildcats will struggle to score but I think they’ll make enough game-changing plays to pull out a narrow victory.

Penn State vs. Northwestern Score Predictions:

Penn State 23

Northwestern 24