Autumn is officially here as The Whiteout Game is back at Penn State on Saturday night.
Auburn (2-0) visits Penn State (2-0) at 7:30 p.m. ET on ABC as one of college football’s greatest traditions returns for its 13th edition at Beaver Stadium. There was a one-year absence because of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. ESPN’s College GameDay will be broadcasting live at University Park starting at 9 a.m. ET.
This is the first time the Nittany Lions have hosted an SEC team since Alabama came to town 10 years ago. The Pennsylvania sports betting market is already seeing a lot of action on the game.
The game is the third-most bet on this Saturday by ticket count, according to John Ewing, data analyst at BetMGM. Penn State opened as 6-point favorites at BetMGM Pennsylvania and as of Friday morning dropped to -5.
The Over/Under total opened at 52.5 points and has ticked up a half-point to 53, with Penn State currently as a moneyline favorite at -200 on sportsbooks.
Veteran QB for Auburn
Auburn quarterback Bo Nix returns for his third season and will face a much-more vaunted defense than the Tigers’ first two opponents: Akron and Alabama State.
Running back Tank Bigsby will help lead the Auburn offense as he has compiled 241 yards on 24 carries with two TDs over the first two wins.
Penn State quarterback Sean Clifford leads Penn State’s offense and will have help from wide receivers Jahan Dotson and KeAndre Lambert-Smith and running back Noah Cain.
Prediction: Make sure you watch the start of the game as everyone in attendance (106,000 capacity) will be wearing white. The crowd, the scene and the energy will be huge and will be an amazing asset for Penn State.
Can Nix step up in a huge spot? If he does, watch out. Or will he fall back to being just a good starter? Penn State’s defense always steps up in this spot (won three of last four Whiteout games) and I think it will do so again. It will be close, but I give the Nittany Lions the edge. Penn State 24-20.
Other Games of Note Saturday:
Western Michigan (1-1) visits Pittsburgh (2-0) for a noon game. At DraftKings Pennsylvania, Pitt is a 14.5-point and a -650 moneyline favorite, with Western Michigan at +460 on the moneyline.
Boston College (2-0) visits Temple (1-1) at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia and the Owls are listed as 14.5-point underdogs and +475 moneyline per DraftKings — Boston College is a -630 moneyline favorite.
