Week three of Penn State football is almost here, folks.

After a 34-0 victory over FIU last week, Penn State football will aim to cap off an unblemished non-conference schedule against the Villanova Wildcats on Saturday afternoon in Beaver Stadium.

Villanova started the season 1-0, beating Colgate 24-17 last week. The Wildcats will have a much harder matchup against the Nittany Lions. Our staffers expect another one-sided affair, even with Penn State failing to cover the spread in the first two games of the season.

Fernando Martinez Ruiz De Esparza (2-0): Penn State 56, Villanova 3

Get ready for another blowout, folks.

Even though Penn State did not look that good against FIU last week, it was still able to hold it scoreless. This proves that the Nittany Lions have an elite defense that can pick up the slack in the event the offense doesn’t play up to their standard. With that in mind, I expect Penn State’s offense to play much better in this game as it is playing a much more inferior opponent than Nevada and FIU. Also, it will want to fix key issues on offense ahead of the White Out in two weeks. Even when this game gets out of hand and the backups come in, expect the Nittany Lions to keep dominating.

As for Villanova, it doesn’t stand a chance. Despite its 10-4 record, let’s not forget, this program plays in the FCS, which means that it plays against inferior opponents, unlike Penn State, which is in the FBS. This is a huge step up in competition for the Wildcats. They have only played one game this season against Colgate and only won by seven. The last time they beat an FBS opponent was in 2018 when they beat Temple. With only one game under their belt and now playing the second-best team in the country, this could get very ugly in front of a hostile Beaver Stadium environment.

Death, taxes, and Penn State by a million.

CJ Gill (2-0): Penn State 52, Villanova 7

Villanova is the worst of the Nittany Lions’ three out-of-conference opponents to start the 2025 season, and it will show on Saturday. I don’t care if the offense hasn’t looked perfect through two games, it’s still Villanova. And frankly, I’m not worried about the season at all yet. It’s week three, so we all can take a deep breath. Drew Allar and the wide receivers should only continue to gain more chemistry against the Wildcats too. Franklin’s squad can get as many reps for its depth pieces as he needs before Oregon comes into town in two weeks.

Jamie Lynch (2-0): Penn State 59, Villanova 0

It’s a good thing this isn’t basketball.

If a “poor” performance against an FBS FIU team resulted in a 34-0 shutout, I have no reason to believe Penn State can’t pour it on against FCS Villanova. That being said, I had a similar sentiment in 2021 when the Nittany Lions played a less-than-stellar game against the Wildcats. However, these two Penn State teams are simply not comparable. I think the defense will continue to be strong, and the team from Happy Valley will win the in-state battle on Saturday.

Michael Zeno (2-0): Penn State 38, Villanova 0

While I’d love Penn State to go out there and make a statement before Oregon comes to town in two weeks, I think the emphasis is going to be to get out of this one healthy and make sure everyone is ready for the first real blockbuster White Out since 2019.

Villanova is also not the total pushover that some of the FCS teams are, so even if PSU comes out motivated, I doubt you’ll see a score reach the comical numbers we’ve seen across football over the last few weeks. They’re a top FCS team that, according to some, is on par with Nevada and FIU. It might not be enough to quell fears ahead of Oregon, but it’ll be another comfortable win.

Noah Flenard: Penn State 45, Villanova 7

I predict the Villanova-Penn State game will finish out with the Nittany Lions on top, 45-7. I expect Drew Allar to rebound and have a three-touchdown performance with a completion percentage of over 66%. I also predict both Kaytron Allen and Nick Singleton to have a rushing touchdown. Could we even see a defensive touchdown? I definitely think it’s a possibility! I see Penn State winning BIG at home against the Wildcats.

Cooper Cazares (2-0): Penn State 51, Villanova 3

Penn State has had its fair share of growing pains to start the season. The Nittany Lions led the FIU Panthers 10-0 at halftime last week, leaving a somewhat sour taste in the mouths of the Penn State faithful. While I expect this will be another blowout victory for the Nittany Lions, I don’t think they’ll cover the spread of 55.5. There is still work to be done, yes, but James Franklin has made it clear that these first three games have been crucial for young players to get their reps. Penn State wins big, but not by 60.

Cadyn Gill (2-0): Penn State 39, Villanova 7

Not to be disrespectful, but Penn State has another cake walk this week against Villanova. The Nittany Lions will dominate both sides of the trenches, en route to a comfy win. With a bye next week and their first real test against Oregon after that, James Franklin’s squad should be locked in and put this game out of reach early to get the starters on the bench by the fourth quarter.

Oscar Orellana (2-0): Penn State 49, Villanova 6

Villanova is Penn State’s lightest non-conference opponent of 2025 on paper. I expect the Nittany Lions to really put their foot on the gas and flex their muscles against the Wildcats as Penn State goes into its first bye week of the season.

James Russell: Penn State 41, Villanova 7

Penn State needs to get its offense going, and this is the last chance to do so before the schedule becomes challenging. I’d like to see Allar improve on last week’s performance and get into a rhythm early on. I expect them to go up big and then put in some of the younger guys to finish the game out.