Washington vs. Penn State betting preview: Odds and predictions

Penn State will try to shake off its first loss of 2024 when it hosts Washington in the annual White Out game on Saturday at Beaver Stadium.

The Nittany Lions (7-1) fell at home to Ohio State, 20-13, on Saturday yet still were ranked No. 6 in the initial College Football Playoff rankings that were unveiled Tuesday. Penn State was the third-ranked team from the Big Ten in the first playoff rankings, behind top-ranked Oregon and No. 2 Ohio State, and one of four teams from the conference ranked in the top 12.

The Huskies, who played for the national championship a season ago, are 5-4 and coming off a 26-21 win over USC on Saturday, which snapped their two-game losing streak. Washington has not yet won a road game, and in fact Big Ten teams from the Pacific Time Zone are 4-7 going east this season, with Oregon claiming two of those victories.

Below, we will provide a full Washington vs. Penn State betting preview with odds from the top PA sportsbooks :

Protect this house The Nittany Lions have not lost a home game to an unranked opponent in almost three years, when they fell 20-18 to Illinois in nine overtimes on Oct. 23, 2021. PSU has won 17 straight games at home against unranked opponents and 28 straight against unranked opposition overall.

Aside from that, the Nittany Lions have been especially dominant in their White Out game, winning four straight and five of six when the entire stadium decks out in white. Penn State, which has held the White Out promotion in 16 straight seasons, is 9-6 in the previous 15 White Out games.

There is no real history between the teams since this will be only the fourth-ever meeting between U-Dub and PSU and the first since the 2017 Fiesta Bowl, which the Nittany Lions won 35-28. Still, they are 2-1 against the Huskies in those previous three meetings.

Still, Washington is 3-3 in conference play with a 27-17 win over Michigan in Week 6. But Jedd Fisch's Huskies have a pair of double-digit-point road losses to Iowa and Indiana along with a three-point loss at Rutgers and a five-point loss to rival Washington State in a neutral-site game played in Seattle.

The Nittany Lions defense has been especially tough at home, outside of the inexplicable 27 points allowed to Bowling Green. PSU is allowing only 12.6 points per game at home in conference and 10 points per game in its five games at Beaver Stadium this season.

Washington vs. Penn State odds The Nittany Lions are -13.5 favorites on the point spread with -500 moneyline odds, which indicates just a $0.20 profit-per-dollar payout on a Penn State victory. The total is 46 points, which gives Penn State an implied victory of 29.75-16.25.

The Nittany Lions are 5-3 against a two-touchdown spread this season, with only their Week 2 win against Bowling Green State and their OT victory over USC in Los Angeles coming by fewer than 14 points. Penn State ranks just 47th in FBS in points per game (30.8) but is averaging only 24.4 points per game in conference play

Luckily, Penn State's defense is eighth in the nation in points-against per game (15.0) and is allowing only 16.4 points per game in Big Ten play, which is a big reason why it has a 4-1 conference record. The odds above were provided by BetMGM Sportsbook .

Run wild Penn State is a well-deserved heavy PA sports betting favorite since it is 33rd in the nation in rushing-yards per game (187.5) and should be able to run against the Washington defense that has allowed more rushing yards per game (150.8) than passing yards per game (142.8). Washington's pass defense ranks second among FBS teams but ranks 70th in rushing yards against.

USC did not attack Washington with the run until the second half before ultimately posting 166 yards on the ground. But you can expect Penn State offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki will try to attack the Huskies on the ground, since the Nittany Lions have put up at least 170 rushing yards in five of their eight games.

The Nittany Lions are not a pass-heavy offense anyway, since quarterback Drew Allar is only averaging 23 attempts per game. Penn State is averaging 37 rushing attempts per game, substantially more than the 26 attempts it is putting up through the air. DraftKings Sportsbook has set the game's Over/Under at 46.

Washington has a balanced offense, averaging about three more pass attempts than rushes, while averaging almost 430 yards per game. But Penn State ranks 15th in the nation in passing-yards against per game (175.5) and has 17 sacks this season.

Washington vs. Penn State betting If you are targeting props, you would have to consider Allar or running backs Kaytron Allen and Nicholas Singleton to score an anytime touchdown, since that troika has combined for 10 TDs in the Nittany Lions' previous eight games. Kotelnicki will almost certainly dial up a run-heavy attack, especially if rain enters the forecast Saturday.

Singleton and Allen's rushing-yards props will need to be a consideration too, especially if each is between 75-90 yards. Singleton is averaging 6.1 yards per carry and 71 yards per game, and Allen is putting up 67 rushing yards per game, which each should surpass given Washington's difficulty slowing the run.

Allar's rushing prop is worth considering too, especially as a same-game parlay leg, if it is in the 20-25-yard range. His Under for passing yards or passing attempts is intriguing too, since Allar may not put the ball in the air more than 20 times – he has only tried 25-plus attempts in one game, against USC, which went to overtime.

Washington vs. Penn State prediction The Nittany Lions have three comfortable Big Ten wins, yet they have not won any conference game with ease. Yet, this is a spot for that, especially since there is a clear advantage to be gained from Penn State running the ball at Washington directly. Currently, FanDuel Sportsbook has Penn State at +2000 odds to win the National Championship.

It would not be stunning to see Penn State run the ball with authority and force Washington defensive coordinator Steve Belichick to bring an extra man or two into the box to try and slow the run. But that would leave the Huskies defense exploited over the top for shots from Allar to deep threat Omari Evans and intermediate receiver Harrison Wallace III.

Washington's offense put up 26 against USC – its largest output since the win over Michigan – even though it did not play particularly well. Look for the sledding to be much tougher against the highly ranked Penn State 'D.'

This one could get even uglier than our score prediction.