Penn State continues its search for its first win under Coach O'Brien when its hosts Navy Saturday afternoon (3:30 pm Eastern, ABC/ESPN2). The Lions, 0-2 after a tough loss at Virginia, are favored by six points over the Middies, who had last week off after their season-opening loss to Notre Dame.



View Navy vs Penn State Odds and Stats.

Betting Line: The home team opened as 6.5-point favorites in this NCAA football battle. No over under line was available early in the week, but was set to posted shortly.

Power Rankings / Prediction: According to the Power Rankings here at OddsShark it's the No. 63-rated Nittany Lions and the No. 89-rated Midshipmen in this matchup. Predictive formulas point to a 18--16 win for the Nittany Lions on Saturday.



How They Match Up:
The game also pits Penn State's No. 107-ranked offense, averaging 15 PPG, against a Midshipmen defense that ranks No. 124 this week at 50 PPG. The Nittany Lions aerial game is averaging 234.5 yards per game, more than the Midshipmen secondary allows through the air, 197 YPG per game.



Navy was a 50-10 loser in their most recent outing at home against Notre Dame. They failed to cover the 14.5-point spread as underdogs, while the total score (60) made winners of OVER bettors. Navy didn’t make much of a game of it last time out, losing to the Fighting Irish as Notre Dame blasted them 50-10 in Week 1 action.

In their last action, Penn State was a 17-16 loser on the road against Virginia. They covered the 10-point spread as underdogs, while the combined score (33) was profitable news for UNDER bettors. In their last game, the Nittany Lions were Week 2 losers coming out on the wrong end of 17-16 score against Virginia.


Navy Midshipmen Trends:
When playing in September are 6-4
When playing on grass are 5-5
After being outgained are 4-6
When playing outside the conference are 4-6

Penn State Nittany Lions Trends:
When playing in September are 6-4
When playing on grass are 6-4
After outgaining opponent are 6-4
When playing outside the conference are 5-5

A few Midshipmen at Nittany Lions trends to consider:
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Navy's last 5 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Navy's last 5 games on the road
Navy is 2-5 ATS in its last 7 games
Navy is 3-8 SU in its last 11 games
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Penn State's last 7 games
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Penn State's last 7 games at home
Penn State is 18-7 SU in its last 25 games at home
Penn State is 4-12-1 ATS in its last 17 games


Next up:
Navy home to VMI, Saturday, September 22
Penn State home to Temple, Saturday, September 22