Week One of the college football season is here. Penn State plays West Virginia and Heartland College Sports has your game prediction, preview and betting odds ahead of the match up.
GAME INFO
Saturday, Aug. 31; 11 a.m. (CT); Milan Puskar Stadium, Morgantown, WV
TV: FOX
Penn State vs. West Virginia betting odds: Penn State minus-10; over/under 49.5
Records: Penn State 10-3 (in 2023); West Virginia 9-4 (in 2023)
Last Week: Opening game for both teams.
Series History: Penn State leads series 49-9-2. Penn State has won the last five meetings.
Last Meeting: Penn State def. West Virginia, 38-15 (2023)
Fun Fact: Way back, Penn State, WVU and Pitt played for what was called the “district Big Three championship,” given to the winner of the three schools’ round-robin matchups. The winner received what was called the Old Ironsides Trophy, first awarded in 1951. The trio don’t play each other in the same year anymore (the last time was in 1984) and the trophy has been lost to time (Penn State had it last).
KEY PLAYERS
Penn State
OFFENSIVE PLAYER
QB Drew Allar: He threw for 2,631 yards, 25 touchdowns and two interceptions last year as a freshman. But, his performances against Ohio State, Michigan and Ole Miss saw him complete fewer than 50% of his passes. All were losses. But those were PSU’s only losses a year ago. Assuming he’s improved, and his wide receiver play at a high level, he should take a significant step forward for the No. 8 Nittany Lions.
DEFENSIVE PLAYER
DE Abdul Carter: Last year as a linebacker he was an All-Big Ten selection after he notched 49 tackles and 5.5 tackles for loss. This year he’s moving to defensive end in defensive coordinator’s Tom Allen’s new 4-2-5 alignment. But the expectations are still the same — to lead a defense that has six returning starters, with many of them concentrated in the front six. Carter is NFL Draft-eligible after the season and hopes to make a great impression on scouts.
West Virginia
OFFENSIVE PLAYER
QB Garrett Greene: In a conference filled with great quarterbacks, Garrett Greene might be the one that gets the least amount of love. But he had a great season for the Mountaineers in 2023, as he threw for 2,406 yards with 16 touchdowns and four interceptions. He was important to WVU’s turnaround to a 9-4 record and a bowl win a season ago. If the Mountaineers want to take a step toward winning the Big 12, he will need to be even better.
DEFENSIVE PLAYER
S Aubrey Burks: He is one of only two returning starters in the secondary, along with Anthony Wilson. Burks plays the “spear” position, and last year he finished with 47 tackles, including 39 solo stops, 3.5 tackles for loss, one sack, four pass breakups, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery. He also had two interceptions, which was second-best on the team. With new blood in the secondary, Burks will have to be better than a season ago.
KEY STORYLINES
Penn State
On the one hand, the Nittany Lions have been incredibly consistent under coach James Franklin. He’s led the Nittany Lions to five seasons of 10 wins or more and only had one losing season — his 4-5 campaign during the COVID-truncated 2020 season. But he’s only won one Big Ten Championship (2016) and never gotten the Nittany Lions to the College Football Playoff. With the expanded playoff, the expectations must be higher, as a 10-win season will, at the least, get any power conference team consideration. That’s the baseline for PSU this season.
West Virginia
Coming off last year’s surprising 9-4 season, the Mountaineers gave head coach Neal Brown a one-year extension that came with a small pay cut. Is that a vote of confidence? Maybe. If so, it’s a small one. Brown’s Mountaineers haven’t been consistent, so athletic director Wren Baker may be hedging his bets. The formula for success this season is the same as last season — run it down the opponent’s throats. But the turnover on defense will be what does or doesn’t make the difference for WVU.
PREDICTION: Penn State 28, West Virginia 24
I thought about this a lot and can see WVU winning this game. But enough of the players that led the Nittany Lions to that big win at State College last year are back. The Mountaineer offense holds its own. I’m not sure about the defense.
