Penn State vs Nebraska post-Paterno

The Penn State Nittany Lions will try to hold on to their two-game lead in the Big Ten's Leaders division this Saturday when they host the Nebraska Cornhuskers.

They will do so amid scandal after the sex assault story dominated headlines on campus and across the sport.

Penn State and Nebraska have both struggled to cover spreads this season, with the 7-2 Cornhuskers at 3-6 ATS and the 8-1 Nittany Lions at 2-7 ATS. Silas Redd rushed for 137 yards and a touchdown in Penn State’s 10-7 win over Illinois in the snow.

The Nittany Lions currently sports a record of 8-1, and have posted a corresponding betting slate of 2-7 ATS. The Cornhuskers are 7-2 and 3-6 ATS. Betting totals have seen the Nittany Lions post a 1-6-1 over under record this season, while the Cornhuskers have gone 4-5 against the number.

View Nebraska vs Penn State Odds and Stats.

Betting Line: Sportsbooks had the Nittany Lions pegged as 2-point underdogs in this matchup but it has climbed to -3.5 by Thursday as bettors begin to fade PSU amid their sexual assault scandal and Paterno firing. The total, meanwhile, sat around 43 late in the week.

Power Rankings / Prediction: It's a betting matchup between the No. 18-rated Nittany Lions and the No. 46-ranked Cornhuskers, according to the NCAAF Power Rankings here at Odds Shark. Predictive-scoring models run on this game indicate a potential 35-32 result in favor of the Cornhuskers.



How They Match Up:
The game also pits Penn State's No. 100-ranked offense, averaging 21.8 PPG, against a Cornhuskers defense that ranks No. 40 this week at 23.1 PPG. The Nittany Lions aerial game is averaging 194.2 yards per game, more than the Cornhuskers secondary allows through the air, 188.7 YPG per game.

Defensively, the Cornhuskers feature the league's No. 60-rated road run defense, allowing 166.7 yards per game. Penn State, meanwhile, ranks No. 62 in rushing offense at home.

Last time out for Nebraska, they were a 28-25 loser as they battled Northwestern at home. Nebraska failed to cover in the match as a 17.5-point favorite, while 53 combined points moved the game UNDER for totals bettors.

Last time out for Penn State, they were a 10-7 Sportsbook as they battled Illinois at home. Penn State failed to cover in the match as a 4.5-point favorite, while 17 combined points moved the game UNDER for totals bettors.


Nebraska Cornhuskers Trends:
When playing in November are 8-2
When playing on grass are 5-5
After being outgained are 8-2
When playing within the conference are 6-4

Penn State Nittany Lions Trends:
When playing in November are 6-4
When playing on grass are 7-3
After being outgained are 8-2
When playing within the conference are 8-2



A few Cornhuskers at Nittany Lions trends to consider:
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Nebraska's last 5 games on the road
Nebraska is 11-3 SU in its last 14 games on the road
Nebraska is 7-2 SU in its last 9 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Nebraska's last 6 games
Penn State is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games
Penn State is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Penn State's last 5 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Penn State's last 8 games


Next up:
Nebraska at Michigan, Saturday, November 19
Penn State at Ohio State, Saturday, November 19

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