Losers their first time out without JoePa, the Penn State Nittany Lions forge ahead this week when they visit Charlottesville, Va. to take on Coach London's Virginia Cavaliers Saturday afternoon (noon ET, ABC).
Penn State Nittany Lions vs Virginia Cavaliers Betting Odds Preview and Pick
And this time, they are a double-digit underdog after losing limply to Ohio a week ago. The total opened at 44, but as of Friday afternoon, the total had been bumped three points, to 47.
The Nittany Lions, with just six starters back from a team that went 9-4 last season, opened this year with a 24-14 loss at home to the Ohio Bobcats of the MAC. Penn State led 14-3 at the half, but got outgained by over 200 yards and outscored 21-0 in the second half on their way to the defeat.
The Lions lost outright as five-point favorites and only get about 45 percent of the wagering volume, according to the consensus data on this game. [ See college football odds on every game here at SBNation ]
Penn State QB Matt McGloin went 27 of 48 passing for 260 yards and two touchdowns, with one interception, but the Lions gained just 92 yards on the ground, running the ball just 22 times.
On the other side of this matchup Virginia, with 12 starters back after going 8-5 last year, opened its season with a 43-19 victory over Coach London's former team, Richmond of FCS ball. The Wahoos piled up 545 yards of total offense, 184 on the ground, and QB Michael Rocco went 25-for-37 passing for 311 yards.
Virginia also held the Spiders to just 28 yards rushing.
But the Cavs coughed up the cover when they let the Richmond score a meaningless touchdown in the last half-minute of the game, instead settling for a push as 24-point favorites.
These two teams last met 10 years ago up in Happy Valley, when the Lions beat the Cavs 35-14. The last time Virginia played a Big Ten team was early last season, when the Cavaliers beat Indiana 34-31.
The last time Penn State played an ACC team came six years ago when the Lions beat Florida State in the Orange Bowl 26-23.
Free NCAAF Pick: Virginia is by no means a powerhouse, and 10 points might be a lot. But Penn State has nothing going for it at the moment, so we’ll take the Cavaliers minus the points. (courtesy of Pick Shark)
