As Penn State earned its first Rose Bowl bid in six years, the Nittany Lions opened as a 1.5-point favorite against No. 8 Utah, according to FanDuel Sportsbook. The over/under is currently set at 49.5 points.

Penn State finished the season with a 9-3 record against the spread, covering in each of its last six games. The over has hit in most of its games, as well, winning at an 8-4 record.

So far, 81% of money against the spread is on Utah.

The Nittany Lions enter the Rose Bowl coming off a regular season that was better than most expected, finishing with a 10-2 record. However, the Nittany Lions didn’t have a ranked win all season and will aim to achieve that feat against the No. 8 Utes in Pasadena on January 2.

On the other hand, Utah will make its second consecutive Rose Bowl appearance. The Utes lost to Ohio State in a 48-45 thriller in Pasadena last New Year’s Day.

After finishing the regular season 9-3 with a win over USC, Utah defeated the Trojans once again, this time in the Pac-12 championship by a score of 47-24. The Utes finished their season 8-5 against the spread, also boasting a 7-6 record on the over.

The line will probably shift, which could happen quite drastically, as more players opt out of the bowl game or even enter the transfer portal. For Penn State, we’ve already seen cornerback Joey Porter Jr. forgo the bowl game and declare for the 2023 NFL Draft, in addition to quarterback Christian Veilleux entering the transfer portal.

As for the Utes, running back Tavion Thomas already decided last week to forgo the bowl game and enter the NFL Draft.

The Nittany Lions will meet the Utes in the first-ever matchup between the two teams in the 2023 Rose Bowl. The game will kick off at 5 p.m. EST on Monday, January 2, and will air on ESPN.