In an old and lopsided East Coast college football rivalry, the Penn State Nittany Lions host the Temple Owls Saturday afternoon (3:30 pm ET ESPN2/ABC).

The 1-2 Lions, coming off the first win of the Coach O'Brien era, are favored by nine points over the 1-1 Owls, whom they've beaten 29 times in a row.



View Temple vs Penn State Odds and Stats.

Betting Line: If you're siding with the visitors in this one you'll find the Owls listed as 9-point underdogs. Meanwhile, the over under line will be set shortly.

Power Rankings / Prediction: The game pits the Nittany Lions, currently No. 83 in our OddsShark NCAAF Power Rankings, against the Owls, who rate No. 104 in the latest survey. Meanwhile, math and handicapping models run on this game predict a 35-29 victory for the Owls.



How They Match Up:
The game also pits Penn State's No. 99-ranked offense, averaging 21.3 PPG, against a Owls defense that ranks No. 60 this week at 23 PPG. The Nittany Lions aerial game is averaging 233.3 yards per game, more than the Owls secondary allows through the air, 171.5 YPG per game.



Last time out for Temple, they were a 36-27 loser as they battled Maryland at home. Temple failed to cover in the match as a 8.5-point favorite, while 63 combined points moved the game OVER for totals bettors. In their last game, the Owls were Week 2 losers coming out on the wrong end of 36-27 score against Maryland.

Penn State was a 34-7 Sportsbook in their most recent outing at home against Navy. They covered the 6.5-point spread as favorites, while the total score (41) made Sportsbooks of UNDER bettors. In their last gridiron battle, Allen Robinson did much of the damage, producing 136 receiving yards as Penn State beat the Midshipmen 34-7 at Beaver Stadium.


Temple Owls Trends:
When playing in September are 7-3
When playing on grass are 7-3
After being outgained are 7-3
When playing outside the conference are 7-3

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

A few Owls at Nittany Lions trends to consider:
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Temple's last 5 games when playing Penn State
Temple is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games
The total has gone UNDER in 8 of Temple's last 10 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Temple's last 5 games when playing on the road against Penn State
Penn State is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Temple
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Penn State's last 5 games when playing Temple
Penn State is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing Temple
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Penn State's last 8 games at home


Next up:
Temple home to South Florida, Saturday, October 6
Penn State at Illinois, Saturday, September 29