Penn State football is looking to bounce back this week after suffering its first loss of 2023 to Ohio State last Saturday. The Nittany Lions return to Beaver Stadium to take on the Indiana Hoosiers, perhaps the worst team in the Big Ten this year. James Franklin’s streak of covering spreads ended in Columbus last week, but his team looks to get back on the horse with another big line. Despite several key names expected on the injury report, the Nittany Lions are expected to roll. But can Penn State correct course and cover the betting odds for this week?
Injury Report (Based on the previous week’s official Big Ten availability reports)
Penn State injury report:
Alonzo Ford, DT – Out for the Season
Smith Vilbert, DE – Out for the Season
Landon Tengwall, OL – Medical Retirement
Andrew Rappleyea, TE
We also saw the following players leave the Ohio State game:
Chop Robinson, DE
Amin Vanover, DE
Indiana injury report:
Josh Henderson, RB
Max Longman, OL
Jamier Johnson, DB
Noah Pierre, DB
Dexter Williams II, QB
Trey Laing, DL
EJ Williams Jr., WR
Kaiden Turner, LB
Zach Carpenter, OL
Betting Odds:
Spread:
Penn State (-32) vs. Indiana
James Franklin’s Nittany Lions enter Saturday’s matchup as a 32-point favorite. The line opened with Penn State as a 27.5-point favorite, but quickly moved in the Nittany Lions’ favor. Penn State football is 6-1 ATS this season. Indiana is 3-4 ATS this season. Penn State is 11-4-1 ATS in its last 16 games against the Big Ten East.
Penn State football moneyline: -25000
Placing a $25,000 bet on Penn State to knock off Indiana would pay $100. Penn State football leads the all-time series 24-2. The Nittany Lions are currently on a two-game winning streak in the series. The lone victories for the Hoosiers came in 2013 and 2020.
Penn State football vs. Indiana over/under 46
The total has gone over in 4 of 7 games for Penn State to start the season. The total has gone over for 5 of Indiana’s 7 games this season. The total has gone over in 4 of Penn State’s last 5 games against Indiana.
Penn State vs Indiana Game Predictions: (8-3)
These teams had never played before Penn State joined the Big Ten. Since 1993, the Nittany Lions have dominated, winning the first 16 games until the 2013 season that saw the Hoosiers win 44-24 in Bloomington. Everyone remembers the famous Penix diving for the pylon in 2020 that gave Indiana a 36-35 upset win. A nightmare is how most Penn State football fans would describe that game.
This series has had some closer-than-expected results over the years. Usually, those games happen in Bloomington. Last year, Penn State won rather easily on the road 45-14.
Expect Penn State to return home this week and put on another dominant performance. The Nittany Lions are either going to come out slow from the loss to Ohio State last weekend, or they will be fired up and jump on Indiana early.
Last week, we split on the odds picks with Penn State and the under. This week, go with the Nittany Lions -32 and the over 46. James Franklin and his staff will be looking to prove something, and this offense will have a great opportunity against a sneaky decent Hoosier defense.
Prediction: Penn State 45 – Indiana 7
Big Ten bet of the Week: (2-5)
Purdue vs Nebraska (-2.5), 3:30 p.m., FS1
Last week, I finally ended the losing streak with the Iowa v Minnesota under 32.5 play. The total got all the way down to 30.5, and still the two teams managed to keep it under that.
This week, we look to make it two in a row with the odds giving Nebraska 2.5 points at home. The Cornhuskers have quietly been getting back on track with Matt Rhule and are still in a wide-open Big Ten West race. I expect Big Red to establish themselves as a legit contender this week taking down the Boilermakers at home.
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