Idaho at Penn State 8/31/19 - College Football Picks & Predictions

By: Jim |

Last Updated: 08/21/2019 at 10:28 AM ET

The Idaho Vandals are set to visit Beaver Stadium in University Park, Pennsylvania for a Week 1 clash against the Penn State Nittany Lions. The Idaho Vandals are looking to rebound after going 4-7 during the 2018 season. The Vandals will return their starting QB from a season ago as Mason Petrino is looking to expand off his 2018 campaign where he threw for 1933 yards, 15 TDs, and 8 interceptions. The majority of Idaho’s success came on the ground last season as Isaiah Saunders ran for 945 yards and 6 TDs, but they will need to replace him as he ran out of eligibility.

The Idaho Vandals struggled on the defensive side of the ball last season as they allowed opponents to score 37.5 PPG, but luckily, they will return some key talent. The Vandals will return their leading tackler from a season ago as Christian Elliss is looking to expand off his 2018 success as he contributed 81 tackles. Idaho will have to replace their sack leader from last season as Kaden Elliss ran out of eligibility after pitching in 7 sacks. The Penn State Nittany Lions are looking to expand off their 2018 success as they went 9-4 with an appearance in the Citrus Bowl, but they will have to replace some key starters on offense. The Nittany Lions will need to find a new QB after Trace McSorley moved onto the NFL after contributing 2530 passing yards, 798 rushing yards, and 30 total TDs. The ground game will also look different as the Nittany Lions are without their leading rusher from last season in Miles Sanders as he pitched in 1274 rushing yards and 9 TDs.

The Penn State Nittany Lions had one of the best defenses in college football last season as they finished the year ranked 23rd in points allowed, and they will return some key talent. Micah Parsons will return to the middle of the Penn State defense after he was the leading tackler last season with 82 tackles. The pass rush should also be strong once again for the Nittany Lions as they will receive back the services of Yetur Gross-Matos who was responsible for a team-high 8 sacks.

The Penn State Nittany Lions are consistently a contender in the Big Ten which can mostly be related to the success of James Franklin, and I once again like their chances even though they need to replace some key offensive pieces this year. This game will serve as a nice entry into a starting role, especially at the QB spot as the Idaho defense was awful last year, and we should expect the services of a few arms. The one bright spot of the Idaho offense last season was their ground attack, but they lost their leading rusher which will be a big hit on their production. The Penn State defense is way too talented for the Idaho Vandals, and we will see a big blowout in this game. Final Score Prediction, Penn State Nittany Lions win and cover ATS 59-3.

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