There seems to be far more belief in Penn State coming out of Las Vegas than Happy Valley. The Nittany Lions have opened as a 21.5-point favorite when Northwestern comes to town on Saturday.
Penn State is 0-5 against the spread to start the 2025 season. They were unable to cover against the likes of Nevada, Florida International and Villanova in the three non-conference games to start the season. They were also favored in the first two Big Ten games of the season, losing both outright to Oregon and UCLA.
The 0-2 start in Big Ten play began as the team once again failed to prove it belonged among national title contenders, with another display of a hopeless offense that can’t move the ball any time they play a strong defense, and still finding ways to come up just short in the defining moments of program-shifting games.
The losing streak continued on Saturday, as Penn State managed to lose 42-35 against a winless UCLA squad despite being a 24.5 point favorite. One of the worst losses in program history, and likely the worst of the James Franklin era thus far, featured a stunning lack of effort, preparation, and execution from players and coaches alike. Penn State allowed the Bruins to score a season-high 42 points, following UCLA averaging just 14.25 points per game against Utah, UNLV, New Mexico and Northwestern. Penn State’s once-vaunted defense allowed the Bruins to score 32 more points than New Mexico, who held the Bruins to 10 in a 35-10 victory in week three. The Nittany Lions allowed Nico Iamaleava to escape the pocket time after time as he rushed for 128 yards and three touchdowns as the defensive staff seemed to have the understanding that 82-year old Joe Namath would be under center for the Bruins.
And yes, you read that right earlier — UCLA lost to New Mexico 35-10 just a few weeks ago.
Northwestern will also enter the game with a 3-2 record, and are coming off a 42-7 pounding of Louisiana Munroe. The Wildcats are 1-1 in conference play, losing to Oregon 34-14 before taking care of business to beat UCLA 17-14.
Penn State and Northwestern kickoff at 3:30 p.m. on Saturday, with coverage provided by FS1. There will also be plenty of other games on at that time.
