The Penn State Nittany Lions got off to a rough start last season, as they lost each of their first five games before ending the abbreviated campaign with four straight victories. They've picked up right where they left off in 2021, opening with four consecutive wins -- including a pair against ranked teams. The No. 4 Nittany Lions look to extend their winning streak to nine games when they host the Big Ten Conference-rival Indiana Hoosiers on Saturday. Penn State (4-0, 1-0 Big Ten) has won 22 of its 24 all-time meetings with Indiana, including all 11 at home.
Kickoff at Beaver Stadium in University Park, Penn. is set for 7:30 p.m. ET. The Nittany Lions are 12-point favorites in the latest Penn State vs. Indiana odds from Caesars Sportsbook, while the over-under for total points scored is 53.5. Before making any Indiana vs. Penn State picks or college football predictions, you need to see what the proven SportsLine Projection Model has to say.
The model simulates every FBS college football game 10,000 times. Over the past five-plus years, the proprietary computer model has generated a stunning profit of almost $3,300 for $100 players on its top-rated college football picks against the spread. After going a sizzling 9-3 in Week 4, it enters Week 5 of the 2021 season on an 81-61 run on all top-rated college football picks. Anyone who has followed it has seen huge returns.
Now, the model has set its sights on Penn State vs. Indiana and it just revealed its CFB picks and predictions. You can visit SportsLine now to see the model's CFB Week 5 picks. Now, here are the college football odds and betting lines for Indiana vs. Penn State:
- Penn State vs. Indiana spread: Nittany Lions -12
- Penn State vs. Indiana over-under: 53.5 points
- Penn State vs. Indiana money line: Nittany Lions -475, Hoosiers +360
- PSU: The Nittany Lions are 7-1 against the spread in their last eight overall games
- IND: The Hoosiers are 8-1 ATS in their last nine contests as road underdogs
Why Penn State can cover
The Nittany Lions are 18th in the nation in passing offense (307.8 yards) but also defend against the pass well. Penn State did not allow a passing touchdown over its first 15 quarters this season before yielding two versus Villanova in the fourth quarter of last Saturday's 38-17 victory after it had built a 35-point lead. The team has recorded five interceptions thus far in 2021, marking the third time since 2014 it has had that amount through the first four games of a season.
One of the reasons the Nittany Lions are so good at defending the pass is their ability to get to opposing quarterbacks. Penn State has registered six sacks this season and 245 over the last seven years, which ranks it third in the nation behind only Clemson (295) and Alabama (260). In that span, the Nittany Lions are second in the country with an average of 3.1 sacks per game and third in quarterback hurries with 889.
Why Indiana can cover
Since the beginning of the 2019 season, the Hoosiers have scored at least 30 points on 15 occasions, tying them for second in the Big Ten behind Ohio State (20). They amassed 507 total yards in last weekend's 33-31 triumph at Western Kentucky, their highest output since notching 522 against Purdue on Nov. 30, 2019. Junior quarterback Michael Penix Jr. had a career-high 35 completions for 373 yards versus the Hilltoppers and also ran for a touchdown while senior running back Stephen Carr recorded two rushing TDs for the second time in his career and first since 2017 with USC.
Ty Fryfogle leads the Hoosiers with 21 catches and 224 receiving yards after posting season highs of 10 and 98, respectively, last Saturday as he fell just shy of his fifth career 100-yard performance. The senior wide receiver is 10th on Indiana's all-time list with 10 touchdown receptions. Senior Peyton Hendershot hauled in seven passes for 100 yards against Western Kentucky and has the second-most TD catches among tight ends in school history (11), ranks third at the position in receptions (106) and is fourth in yards (1,122).
How to make Penn State vs. Indiana picks
SportsLine's model is leaning under on the point total, projecting 47 combined points. It also has generated an against-the-spread pick that cashes in almost 60 percent of simulations. You can only get the model's Penn St. vs. Indiana ATS pick at SportsLine.
So who wins Indiana vs. Penn State? And which side of the spread hits almost 60 percent of the time? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the Penn State vs. Indiana spread to back, all from the advanced model that is up almost $3,300 on its top-rated college football spread picks, and find out.
