Penn State vs. West Virginia prediction, odds, time: 2024 college football picks, Week 1 bets from top models
The No. 8 seed Penn State Nittany Lions travel to play the West Virginia Mountaineers in a non-conference battle to kick off the 2024 college football season. Last season, the Nittany Lions were one of the best teams in the Big Ten, going 10-3. Ole Miss defeated Penn State 38-25 in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl on Dec. 30. On the opposite sideline, WVU finished the 2023 campaign with a 9-4 record. In the Duke Mayo’s Bowl, the Mountaineers defeated North Carolina 30-10.
Kickoff is scheduled for 12 p.m. ET from Mountaineer Field at Milan Puskar Stadium. The Nittany Lions are 8.5-point favorites in the latest Penn State vs. West Virginia odds from SportsLine consensus, while the over/under for total points scored is 51.5. Before making any picks for West Virginia vs. Penn State, be sure to check out the college football predictions and betting advice from the SportsLine Projection Model.
The model simulates every FBS college football game 10,000 times. Since its launch, it has generated a profit of over $2,000 for $100 players on its top-rated college football picks against the spread. It is also coming off a 13-9 season in profits on top-rated spread picks. Anyone who has followed it has seen strong returns.
Now, the model has set its sights on Penn State vs. WVU and just locked in its picks and CFB predictions. You can visit SportsLine right now to see the model’s picks. Here are the college football odds and betting lines on the spread, money line and over/under for WVU vs. Penn State:
- Penn State vs. West Virginia Spread: Nittany Lions -8.5
- Penn State vs. West Virginia Over/Under: 51.5 points
- Penn State vs. West Virginia Money Line: Nittany Lions -307, Mountaineers +244
- PSU: Penn State has blown a lead in nine of the last 13 games
- WVU: 8-5 ATS last season
- Penn State vs. West Virginia picks: See the selections at SportsLine
Why Penn State might cover
Penn State was one of the best teams in the Big Ten last season, and the Nittany Lions look to continue that play in the fall. During the 2023 campaign, they ranked second in total offense (400.2), fifth in passing offense (215) and first in both rushing offense (185.2) and scoring offense (36.2). In addition, they scored over 40 points in five games.
Junior quarterback Drew Eller has a big arm with the ability to throw to all three levels. Eller threw for 2,631 yards with 25 passing touchdowns and two interceptions. Junior running back Ketron Allen was one of the top options in the backfield. Allen has good size to intimidate defenders and make them tough to bring down. The Virginia native totaled 172 carries for 902 yards, six touchdowns and 5.2 yards per rush. He had six games with at least 70 rushing yards last season. See which team to pick here.
Why West Virginia Can Cover
The Mountaineers have several key offensive players returning and will look to pick up where they left off in 2023. Last season, West Virginia ranked fifth in the Big 12 in scoring offense (31.5) and led the conference in rushing offense (228.9). Senior quarterback Garrett Green provides this squad with a dual-threat signal caller. Green amassed 2,178 passing yards, 15 passing touchdowns, 708 rushing yards and 13 rushing scores.
The ground game led the offense and that will be the gameplan this season. Last year, they had three players who gained over 700 yards on the ground. Sophomore running back Jaheim White was the main difference maker in the backfield. He accumulated 842 rushing yards, four scores and 7.7 yards per carry. Junior running back C.J. Donaldson Jr. provides West Virginia with an extra force. In 2023, he recorded 798 yards with a team-high 11 touchdowns. See here which team to pick.
How to choose Penn State vs. West Virginia
SportsLine’s model is leaning toward the over, projecting a total of 55 combined points. The model also says one side of the spread hits more than 70% of the time. You can find the model’s picks only at SportsLine.
So who wins Penn State vs. West Virginia, and which side of the spread hits in over 70% of simulations? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the spread is going to move, all from an advanced computer simulation model that has already made over $2,000 on college football picks since inception, and find out.
