Penn State football is in unfamiliar territory, folks.

It’s not just because of James Franklin’s firing, Drew Allar’s season-ending injury, all the decommits, and the team’s recent struggles. It’s also because, for the first time this season, the Nittany Lions are an underdog heading into a game.

After suffering its third consecutive loss against Northwestern, Penn State will look to avoid going under .500 for the first time since 2020 when it travels to Iowa City to take on the Iowa Hawkeyes at 7 p.m. on Saturday, October 18. This will be the blue and white’s final game before it goes on its second bye week of the season next week.

The opening line against Iowa has been set at -3 points in the Hawkeyes’ favor, with the over/under listed at 39.5 points, according to DraftKings. The money line is in favor of Iowa at -148. Penn State is a +124 underdog. This is the first time that Penn State has been an underdog since last season’s College Football Playoff semifinal against Notre Dame.

The Nittany Lions still have not covered the spread so far this season. They became the first FBS program in the last 30 years to lose consecutive games as at least a 20-point favorite after losing to UCLA and Northwestern. Now, they will play their first game of the season under interim head coach Terry Smith and quarterback Ethan Grunkmeyer.

While teams usually play better in their first game under an interim coach, expect that not to be the case with Penn State this week. It is heading to one of the most hostile environments in college football, and heading into that environment with a backup quarterback is a recipe for disaster. We all know how that went down the last time we played at Kinnick Stadium in 2021.

As for Iowa, it has a better record than Penn State right now at 4-2. It is 4-1-1 against the spread this season and undefeated as a favorite. It is 7-1 straight up in its last eight home games, according to OddsShark. It has played well this season, as it only lost to No. 3 Indiana by five and previously ranked Iowa State by three earlier in the season. It is coming off a shutout win over Wisconsin last week, so with the home-field advantage and all the drama that’s going on with Penn State right now, expect it to not only win this game but to cover as well.

Due to Penn State’s three consecutive losses, it no longer has odds available to win the national championship and to make the College Football Playoff.