Penn State Betting ??? How to Wager on the Nittany Lions

?? Penn State Football Betting 2024

Start betting on Penn State this season with the best sportsbooks in PA.

Pennsylvania State University, better known as Penn State, is one of the leading D1 football colleges in the country. The team plays in the Big Ten Conference with several National Championship contenders. You can bet on Penn State football team on all Pennsylvania sportsbooks; there are some limitations on the types of bets you can place, but most pre-game wagers are allowed.

?? Betting on PSU College Football

Betting on college sports is allowed in Pennsylvania and you can bet on in-state college teams like Penn State. However, you won’t find player props for Penn State or Pittsburgh Panthers betting as those are not legal in Pennsylvania online gambling. The differences in college and NFL rules don’t affect betting as they are not that significant relating to the results.

Bet Types

Aside from player props, you can place several types of bets on Penn State. Each online sportsbook posts the odds for the games well in advance, meaning you can take your time browsing the sportsbooks to find the best odds for your chosen bets.

• Point Spreads
  Point spread indicates the presumed scoring difference between the two teams. One is labeled as the favorite with a minus sign (like -3.5), while the other is the underdog indicated by the plus sign (+3.5). The favorite must win by 4 points or more to “cover the spread” and for those bettors to win. The underdog must be within three points or win outright to cover. Point spreads are extremely popular for football betting and each sportsbook offers them for all games. The odds are usually balanced on both sides (at -110) to ensure there’s a somewhat even distribution of bettors.
• Moneylines
  Another popular betting type, moneylines are bets on the outright winner of the game. The same symbols indicate the favorite and the underdog, with one difference: the odds have a plus or minus sign, so +220 and -130. You stand to win more if you bet on the underdog, but the differences between college teams can be huge so it’s often not worth your while.
• Totals
  Totals are over/under bets on a result. You can bet on the total score of the Penn State vs Purdue game (whether it’s over or under a certain predetermined number) or on the number of games Penn State is going to win this year (over/under 8). It doesn’t matter which team wins, just the overall score. Totals are sometimes the best way to bet on college as the differences between the teams can lead to poor odds for moneyline and point spread.
• Futures
  Future bets are bets on eventual winners of the Big Ten, National Championship, or the Heisman Trophy. There are a bit fewer options for college than for NFL. The odds change throughout the season, so betting early means getting a bigger payout if your pick wins.
• Parlays
  Parlays combine several bets (legs) as one wager. You can bet that Penn State, Ohio State, and Michigan all cover the spread in their games. If all do, you win your parlay. If one or more doesn’t, you lose. You can also place same game parlays on most sportsbooks, but your options are more limited for college football since player props aren’t allowed.

Betting Tips

Even though there are no drastic differences between NFL and college wagering, you might want to check out our tips on how to make the most of your betting experience. There are some regions where people are more into college football than pro sports, meaning sportsbooks try to take care that they are not out of the loop when it comes to the power rankings.

1. Stick to What You Know: There are literally hundreds of top-tier college football programs in the U.S. You can’t follow all of them closely. Fortunately, neither can the oddsmakers. Stick to the teams you know best and you are in a better position to win your bets. Keep in mind that Penn State is one of the bigger programs in the nation and does get decent media coverage. If you can find out information, so can the people who make the odds.
2. Conference Differences: Because there are so many college football programs and even more players, the top talent is not spread evenly. This can lead to big mismatches which are reflected in the odds. It might not be worthwhile to bet on each Penn State game if they are the runaway favorites as your payouts will be quite small.
3. Bowl Games: Threat or Opportunity? In general, betting on your favorite teams during the regular season is a safer choice since there are so many games each weekend and some match-ups might not be evaluated correctly. That all changes come post-season as there are so few teams moving on. Oddsmakers check the teams thoroughly and you probably won’t find any insights of your own. However, taking a risk on an underdog might net you big bucks if they do manage an upset. While we are not recommending place huge stack of dollars against Alabama, you never know what might happen.

Online wagering on Penn State is easy; just get started with our tips!

?? Finding a PA Sportsbook

Now that you are ready to bet on Penn State, you just need to find an online sportsbook you like. All Pennsylvania sportsbooks all have great odds, PA sportsbook promos, and easy-to-use apps. You can find all PA online casinos which have sportsbooks from BonusFinder US.

In general, you can’t go wrong with any of the books we recommend but there might be differences in odds and promos. That’s why recommend checking out the ongoing promos and signing up on a few books to find the best odds.

?? PSU Nittany Lions Schedule 2024

The 2024 season starts off with an away game against West Virginia, followed by mainly non-Big Ten games. If the Nittany Lions have any hope of winning Big Ten, the Ohio State game is a must-win.

Bolded are Big Ten match-ups.

?? Notable Alumni

Since Penn State is a football powerhouse, plenty of NFL’ers have graced the field at State College. Below are some of the most famous Nittany Lions that made it to the big leagues.

• Franco Harris, RB, is an iconic Pro Football Hall-of-Famer, four time Super Bowl winner, and much beloved in Pittsburgh for the Immaculate Reception.
• Mike Munchak, G, played 12 seasons at the Houston Oilers (now Tennessee Titans) and was inducted to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2001.
• Jack Ham, LB, also represented the Steelers like Harris and won four Super Bowls with the team in the 1970s.
• Lenny Moore, RB, played 12 season at the Baltimore Colts and won the championship in 1958 and 1959.
• Matt Millen, LB, repped the Oakland Raiders in the 1980s and played seasons with the 49ers and Redskins as well, winning four Super Bowls in the course of his career.

?? PSU 2023 Season

Penn State had a 10-2 record, earning a place at the Peach Bowl played in Atlanta, GA on December 30. Penn State finished at #10 in the AP Poll, James Franklin having coached his 10th season at the helm of the Nittany Lions.

Some of the highlights during the season were the Week #1 win over West Virginia, as the teams hadn’t met since 1992; Week #4 shutout of Iowa; and the last game of the regular season with a convincing shutout against Michigan State.

Losses to Ohio State and Michigan led to the firing of offensive coach Mike Yurcich on November 12. Head Coach Franklin has struggled to beat the in-division rivals and this has prevented Penn State from being in the conversation for the National Championship.

?? Championships & Bowl Games

Penn State has won two national championships, in 1982 and 1986. The Nittany Lions have also won five conference championships: in 1891 (Pennsylvania Intercollegiate Football Association), 1994, 2005, 2008, and 2016.

PSU has appeared in 52 bowl games with a record of 31-19-2. Their most recent bowl appearance was in 2023 at the Peach Bowl, where they lost 25-38 to Ole Miss.

Last updated: 07/30/2024