Penn State vs Rutgers betting line: Lions favored by nearly 20 points in home finale

a 24-15 loss to Michigan and the ensuing dismissal of offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich, this Penn State football season reaches a new phase in Game Week 11. Now eliminated from Big Ten title contention and the College Football Playoff conversation, the Nittany Lions will look to find motivation in achieving a 10-2 regular season that could send them to another New Year's Six bowl depending on how things shake out elsewhere.

"We've lost to the No. 1 and the No. 3 teams in the country," Penn State head coach James Franklin said during his postgame press conference. "We’ve got to find ways to win those games. But (now we) address it, be honest, be transparent. Go after it head-on and then move on to the next opponent so we can find a way to get a win next week and finish this thing in a positive direction."

Penn State will return to Beaver Stadium next Saturday for a noon kickoff against another Big Ten East opponent as the conference's divisional era ends. Rutgers visits Happy Valley, where the Nittany Lions will celebrate Senior Day and wrap up their 2023 home schedule.

Carrying a 16-game win streak against the Scarlet Knights, Penn State is considered a strong favorite to extend that success. Rutgers is a 19-point underdog on Caesars Sportsbook as of 6 p.m. ET. That same source lists the over/under for total points at 43.5.

PSU has never lost to Rutgers as conference foes, with their closest matchup occurring in a 2014 Big Ten debut for both Franklin and the Scarlet Knights. The Nittany Lions won 13-10 in Piscataway that night, and the following eight victories have come by a margin of at least 13 points. 

Penn State pounded Rutgers, 55-10, in Piscataway last November. The Scarlet Knights finished 4-8 last fall but are qualified for a bowl this season at 6-4, set to finish their regular season Nov. 25 against Maryland.

Rutgers is 6-2-2 versus the spread in 2023. Those pushes came against Michigan (+24) and Ohio State (+19). The Scarlet Knights failed to cover the spread in Iowa City on Saturday, suffering a 22-0 defeat as a one-point underdog.

Penn State is 7-3 against the spread after starting 6-0. The Nittany Lions failed to cover in each of their last two home games, losing to Michigan by nine points (+4) and beating Indiana by nine points (-31). Offensive issues plagued PSU in each of those matchups, contributing toward a major late-season shakeup.

On Sunday afternoon, PSU announced Franklin fired third-year OC Mike Yurcich. Against Michigan and Ohio State, Penn State converted only 5-of-30 third downs (17%) and failed to produce any points on 10 second-half possessions that could've tied or taken the lead, with five of those resulting in three-and-out punts. On Saturday, quarterback Drew Allar threw for only 70 passing yards.

"We’ve got to do a better job of calling a game to allow our quarterback to get into rhythm," Franklin said. "That is critical. We’ve got to find easy completions for a quarterback to get into rhythm. That's what everybody does. We’ve got to do a good job of that."

Penn State moves forward with tight ends coach Ty Howle and running backs coach Ja'Juan Seider operating as interim co-offensive coordinators. The Nittany have two regular-season games remaining, capped off with a Black Friday matchup versus Michigan State in Detroit.