Penn State Nittany Lions vs. Auburn Tigers Picks, Predictions, Odds

Daniel Dobish Sports Betting Expert

3 minute read

The Penn State Nittany Lions travel south to meet the Auburn Tigers Saturday at Jordan-Hare Stadium in Auburn, Alabama. Kickoff is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. ET, and the game can be viewed on CBS.

Updated on 12/22/2024

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PENN STATE NITTANY LIONS vs. AUBURN TIGERS BETTING PREDICTION

The Nittany Lions have picked up a pair of victories so far this season, including a road win at Purdue back on Sept. 1, covering a 3.5-point number. Instead of having a hangover game, Penn State rolled Ohio by a 46-10 score in Happy Valley to cover a 27.5-point spread. The OVER has connected in each game for Penn State so far.

These teams met last season, with Penn State picking up a 28-20 win in State College in the first-ever meeting during the regular season. These teams met previously on New Year's Day in 2003 at the Capital One Bowl, with Auburn winning 13-9. They also met in the Outback Bowl on New Year's Day 1996, with Penn State blasting Auburn 46-13.

In last season's game, Auburn actually had 24 first downs to just 22 for Penn State, while running for 194 yards to just 84 for the Nittany Lions. However, the difference was the leadership and poise of QB Sean Clifford, who completed 28-of-32 passes for 280 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. Unfortunately for Clifford, he no longer has difference maker WR Jahan Dotson, who hauled in two touchdowns this past weekend against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Score Prediction: Penn State 26, Auburn 17
Best Bet: Penn State -3 (-105)
Best Bet: UNDER 47.5 (-110)

PENN STATE NITTANY LIONS vs. AUBURN TIGERS BETTING ODDS

Matchup | More Odds | Futures Odds | CFP Central

PENN STATE NITTANY LIONS vs. AUBURN TIGERS BETTING RESOURCES

Date: Saturday, Sept. 17, 2022
Matchup: Big Ten vs. SEC
Venue: Jordan-Hare Stadium
Location: Auburn, Alabama
Time-TV: ABC, 3:30 p.m. ET
Expert Picks

PENN STATE NITTANY LIONS BETTING ANALYSIS

The Nittany Lions have rolled up 489.0 total yards per game on offense so far, ranking 25th in the nation during the early going, while posting 323.0 passing yards per game. That's a similar recipe for how it topped Auburn in last season's game. Clifford and the pass game was crisp, and Auburn was unable to match that.

Penn State has cashed in each of its games so far this season, while going 13-6 ATS in the past 19 games overall. The Nittany Lions have enjoyed stepping out of the conference, too. Last week's game against Ohio was the first cover outside of the Big Ten, and it is 12-5-1 ATS in the past 18 against non-Big Ten clubs. The Lions are 1-6 ATS in the past seven against the SEC, although that lone cover was against Auburn last season.

For totals, the UNDER has cashed in 12 of the past 17 games on the road for the Nittany Lions, while going 4-1 in the past five against SEC teams. That includes last season's UNDER result against Auburn.

AUBURN TIGERS BETTING ANALYSIS

The Tigers have started off a little sluggish so far, and the competition hasn't exactly been stiff. Auburn did lead Mercer of the FCS by a 42-7 score before the Bears scored nine points in the fourth quarter for the backdoor cover. The Tigers were super sluggish against San Jose State on the Plains last weekend, falling 24-16 as the UNDER hit, coming nowhere near a cover of a 24-point number.

Former Hawaii QB Chevan Cordeiro passed for 275 yards on this Auburn defense last weekend, and that's a concern with them now having to face Clifford, a guy who shred the Tigers pass D last season in Happy Valley.

The Tigers have covered just one of the past seven games overall, while going 1-4 ATS in the past five home games. The Tigers are also 0-5 ATS in the past five non-conference tilts, while covering just once in the past seven against the Big Ten. All trends point to a Penn State cover on the Plains.

For totals, the UNDER has hit in four of the past five games overall, while going 5-2 in the past seven at Jordan-Hare Stadium. The UNDER is also 8-3 in the past 11 games against teams with a winning record.

PENN STATE NITTANY LIONS vs. AUBURN TIGERS BETTING TRENDS

• Penn State is 13-6 ATS in the past 19 games overall.
• Penn State is 12-5-1 ATS in the past 18 non-conference games.
• Penn State is 6-1 ATS in the past seven games in September.
• Penn State is 1-6 ATS in the past seven games vs. SEC.
• Auburn is 1-6 ATS in the past seven games overall.
• Auburn is 1-4 ATS in the past five home games.
• Auburn is 0-5 ATS in the past five non-conference games.
• Auburn is 0-4 ATS in the past four games in September.
• Auburn is 1-6 ATS in the past seven games vs. Big Ten.
• UNDER is 12-5 in the past 17 road games for Penn State.
• UNDER is 4-1 in the past five games vs. SEC for Penn State.
• UNDER is 4-1 in the past five games for Auburn.
• UNDER is 5-2 in the past seven home games for Auburn.

Daniel Dobish

Dan is a handicapper and sports betting expert for VegasInsider with years of experience writing for a number of top publications in the industry. More from Daniel Dobish