Indiana vs. Penn State Prediction, Pick, Odds: Will Drew Allar, Penn State Bounce Back Against Indiana?
The Penn State Nittany Lions will host the Indiana Hoosiers on Saturday, one week after souring their undefeated season to Ohio State. Will Drew Allar and his running backs right the ship against the struggling Hoosiers? Matt MacKay breaks it down with his Indiana vs. Penn State prediction.
Matt MacKay - October 23, 2023, 11:42 AM EDT
6 minIndiana vs. Penn State Prediction, Pick, Odds: Will Drew Allar, Penn State Bounce Back Against Indiana?
A noon kickoff between two Big Ten interdivisional opponents is set between Penn State and Indiana in Week 9.
Penn State head coach James Franklin bristled at questions about his offense entering a Week 8 road game against Ohio State, which resulted in two field goals in a 20-12 losing effort against the Buckeyes. Quarterback Drew Allar completed a season-low 42 percent of his pass attempts, managing a late touchdown in what most would consider garbage time.
Indiana also played Ohio State tough early in the season, but lately, they've been suffering from bad offense, scoring 17 or fewer points in four of its past five games. The Hoosiers have only scored one rushing touchdown in the past three weeks, which will grow increasingly difficult against the Nittany Lions' defense, which is second in the FBS for points allowed (9.7) this year.
Expect Penn State to come out firing early to avenge the bad loss suffered against the Buckeyes last week, especially in a return to Beaver Stadium. They have dominated opponents at home, however weak they've been, which doesn't bode well for the Hoosiers in Week 9. Indiana has lost three consecutive games, while ranking 124th in points per game (17.9) in the FBS this season.
NCAAF handicapper Matt MacKay gives us his prediction and pick to wager in this Big Ten matchup between Indiana and Penn State.
Indiana vs. Penn State Date, Time, And Where To Watch
- Date: Saturday, October 29, 2023
- Game Time: 12:00 p.m. ET
- Where to Watch: Paramount+
Indiana vs. Penn State Odds
- Spread: Penn State -31.5 (-115), Indiana +31.5 (-105)
- Total Odds: Under 44.5 (-110), Over 44.5 (-110)
- Moneyline Odds: Penn State (-10000), Indiana (+2500)
Indiana vs. Penn State Injury Report
Indiana
Questionable: RB Josh Henderson (Leg), OL Max Longman (Undisclosed), DB Jamier Johnson (Concussion), DB Noah Pierre (Undisclosed)
Out: N/A
Penn State
Questionable: DE Chop Robinson (Undisclosed)
Out: N/A
Indiana vs. Penn State Prediction
The Nittany Lions have covered the spread in each of its last 12 games as a favorite. Oddsmakers currently value Penn State -31.5 ATS, which they have managed to cover twice this season against non-Power 5 opponents. They beat Iowa 31-0 at home, while also managing to win by 28 against Northwestern on the road.
Indiana's struggles can be found on both side of the line of scrimmage. The Hoosiers have played really good offenses lately in Maryland and Michigan, however, they are unable to produce enough juice on their own offense to compete against most Big Ten opponents.
Indiana has surrendered 15 touchdowns in its last three games, while scoring only five touchdowns during this stretch. It will only get tougher against the nation's second-best defense in terms of points per game allowed, as the Nittany Lions managed to stifle Ohio State's potent offense until late in the second half. Running backs Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen should stay busy and put up video-game numbers against the Hoosiers, especially motivated coming off of a tough loss.
Moneyline odds are out of control in this game, as Penn State is -10000 to win outright, while the point total line is set to 44.5, which feels a bit low considering the Nittany Lions could score 45 points by themselves in this matchup. Penn State has also been among the best teams at covering spreads in the country this year, going 6-1 ATS, with their only loss coming as a 5.5-point underdog at Ohio State, where they wound up losing by eight.
Point totals have been a mixed bag for Penn State, going 4-3, slightly favoring the over, but Indiana's anemic offense could keep this game 41-3 or 44-0, which would fail to cash the over by the hook. Instead, let's go back to where we've made our bread on the Nittany Lions this season, which is taking them to cover this point spread as 31.5 point favorites at home against an underachieving Indiana Hoosiers team, improving to 7-1 ATS without much discomfort.
Indiana vs. Penn State Pick
- Penn State -31.5 (-115) Click here to see which sportsbook has the best odds
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