Penn State will be a double-digit favorite in eight of 12 games, TAN projects

Penn State football is a top-five team in numerous preseason media polls and data-driven top-25 rankings. Expectations are high for head coach James Franklin’s program ahead of his 10th season as the leader of the Nittany Lions. Sportsbooks have set the win total over/under at 9.5, meaning those picking the over will need Penn State to win 10 games or more in the regular season to cash.

FanDuel already has four of the Big Ten East team’s contests lined. It has Penn State as a 19.5-point favorite for its opener opposite West Virginia. It is a 10.5-point favorite, then, for its matchup with Iowa at the end of September. But, the Lions are underdogs for their marquee matchups at Ohio State (+10.5) and against Michigan (+2.5) at Beaver Stadium.

More betting lines will come as the season nears. In anticipation of those, The Action Network released a buffet of college football information recently that, among other things, offers point spread projections for every team’s regular season matchups. For Penn State, it says the Lions will be double-digit favorites in eight of 12 contests. But, it has it as an underdog in three games. The Buckeyes and Wolverines are logical. But, TAN‘s projections also see Maryland being a short favorite over the Lions with home-field factored advantage in.

Here are The Action Network’s projected spreads for each regular season game:

PSU (-11.5) vs. West Virginia

PSU (-43.1) vs. Delaware

Illinois vs. Penn State (-2.4)

PSU (-13.7) vs. Iowa

Northwestern vs. Penn State (-15.2)