Penn State vs. West Virginia Prediction, Pick Against the Spread, and Latest Odds

Penn State vs. West Virginia Prediction, Pick Against the Spread, and Latest Odds

The West Virginia Mountaineers vs. the Penn State Nittany Lions will clash from Happy Valley on Saturday night as the teams kick off their 2023 season.

Penn State vs. West Virginia Date, Start Time, Odds and Where to Watch

• Date: September 2, 2023
• Time: 7:30 pm ET
• Where to Watch: NBC

Click here to get the best odds for Penn State vs. West Virginia

Penn State vs. West Virginia Prediction

The Mountaineers enter the season after a tough go of things in 2022. The Mountaineers ended the year with a record of 5-7. It has been back-to-back losing seasons for the team, and they will attempt to rebound with a strong go of things this season. 

Head coach Neal Brown begins his fifth year at the helm for the Mountaineers. Brown has had just one winning season since taking over, and this is a significant reason for his future in Morgantown.

Garret Greene is slated to be the team's week one signal caller. Greene will be the first starting quarterback for the Mountaineers that was recruited out of high school to West Virginia since 2013. The rest have been transfers

One positive for the Mountaineers is the fact that they return all of their starting linemen. The line was inconsistent a season ago, but experience is important, especially early in the year.

Devin Carter is considered the team's best offensive weapon. Cater, who is a transfer from North Carolina State, will have an opportunity to show off his skill set on a weekly basis.

The issue for West Virginia will be their defense. This was one of the worst scoring defenses in college football last year, allowing opponents 32.9 points per game. West Virginia was one of the worst teams in division one in takeaways per game, with just four interceptions on the season.

Penn State has a lot of expectations as we begin the 2023 season.

Head coach James Franklin will be in his tenth season as the team's head coach. Franklin is coming off of his best season, supporting a record of 11-2 and adding a bowl win in the Rose Bowl over Utah. The only real knock on Franklin is winning the “big” game, as he has struggled in his career vs. rivals Ohio State and Michigan. 

Drew Allar will be the team's starting quarterback. Allar is the best recruit at the position Franklin has ever had, and the expectations for the kid are sky-high. Allar saw limited action backing up Sean Clifford in 2022.

The run game was vital for Penn State in 2022, led by the combo of Nicholas Singleton and Kayrton Allen. The two combined for twenty-two rushing touchdowns. 

Penn State will return the majority of their offensive line, which is a good sign as they were one of the best lines in the Big Ten a season ago. 

Manny Diaz will be in his second year as the team's defensive coordinator. Diaz, who is the former head coach of Miami, Florida, did a nice job in his first season as the DC. 

Abdul Carter is the best player on this Nittany Lions defense, as he led the team in sacks with 6.5. Additionally, Kalen King will be back in the secondary for the Nittany Lions. King is considered one of the best defensive backs in college football.

Penn State vs. West Virginia Pick

This may look like a big number, but Penn State is a much more talented team.

Drew Allar will take the college football world by storm this season as he is one of the more undervalued QBs entering 2022.

West Virginia is a bad defense, and the Nittany Lions will have no problem putting up points in bunches tonight.

Defensively, Penn State will be one of the best in the nation, and the Mountaineers will struggle to move the ball with any kind of consistency. 

• PICK: Penn State -20.5 (-110) Click here to see which sportsbook has the best odds