Penn State Football Remains Heavy Favorite Over FIU
We play For The Kids on Saturday, folks.
After dominating Nevada in its season opener, Penn State football will play its second game of a four-game home stand against the Florida International Panthers at noon on Saturday, September 6. This matchup will serve as Penn State’s annual THON game as the Nittany Lions look to start their season 2-0 for the fifth consecutive year.
The opening line against FIU has been set at -41.5 points in the Nittany Lions’ favor, with the over/under listed at 54.5 points, according to DraftKings. It’s worth noting that the sportsbook is not currently accepting any bets on the game’s money line or outright winner.
While Penn State’s defense is expected to limit the Panthers’ offense, FIU will do just enough for the over to hit on Saturday. It’s worth noting that FIU got one vote in this week’s Coaches Poll, which means the team looks promising despite the large spread. It scored 42 points in its win against a weak Bethune-Cookman team last week, but if Nevada managed to score against Penn State, then the Panthers should have no problems scoring against the Nittany Lion defense.
With that in mind, expect the Penn State offense to put up a lot of points just like last week. The over has hit in Penn State’s last four games against unranked opponents. On top of that, the total has gone over in 4 of FIU’s last 5 games, according to OddsShark.
Penn State extended its win streak as a favorite dating back to last season to 13 with its win over Nevada. However, the Nittany Lions started the season 0-1 against the spread and 1-0 against the over/under as they did not cover the 43.5-point spread and the over hit last week.
As for FIU, it is 1-0 against the spread and 0-1 against the over/under as it covered the -26.5-point spread against Bethune-Cookman and the under hit. Last season, the Panthers went 9-4 against the spread and 8-4-1 against the over/under despite finishing with a 5-8 record. FIU was an underdog in 7 of the 13 games last season and went 2-5.
As we head into week two of the 2025 season, the Nittany Lions are now +650 to win the national championship, trailing only the defending national champions Ohio State at +600.
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