Week 9 of the 2024 college football season is headlined by No. 8 LSU vs. No. 14 Texas A&M. That top-15 SEC matchup is not the only compelling matchup in primetime tonight, though.
In Madison, Wisconsin, No. 3 Penn State has a massive game for its College Football Playoff hopes, while the Badgers are hoping for an upset after a 5-2 start that includes losses to Alabama and USC.
The Big Ten matchup between Penn State and Wisconsin kicks off at 7:30 p.m. ET on NBC/Peacock.
Penn State vs. Wisconsin Betting Odds
Below are the odds for Penn State vs. Wisconsin in three key markets: the spread, moneyline and total.
| DraftKings | FanDuel | bet365 | |
| PSU spread | -6.5 (-108) | -6.5 (-115) | -6.5 (-110) |
| WIS spread | +6.5 (-112) | +6.5 (-105) | +6.5 (-110) |
| PSU ML | -238 | -250 | -240 |
| WIS ML | +195 | +202 | +195 |
| Total | 47.5 (o-112; u-108) | 47.5 (o-115; u-105) | 47.5 (o-110; u-110) |
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Penn State vs. Wisconsin Betting Preview
There’s a lot to like about this year’s Penn State team, which is a perfect 6-0 (3-0 Big Ten) and coming off a Week 8 bye.
In its last game before its idle week — a 33-30 road win over USC — PSU showed that unlike previous James Franklin-led teams, these Nittany Lions have the passing game to pull out a win even if they have to come from behind.
Drew Allar arrived at Penn State back in 2022 as a five-star recruit with a ton of hype. He led his team to a 10-3 record in 2023, with its only losses coming against Ohio State, Michigan and Ole Miss, but he struggled against those three teams. In fact, the Nittany Lions scored a total of just 52 points in its three losses.
That led to the firing of offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich, who was replaced by former Kansas OC Andy Kotelnicki. The latter has had a massive impact, helping Penn State average 34 points per game, and his play-calling in the win over the Trojans was excellent. Between Kotelnici, Allar, star tight end Tyler Warren, who had 17 catches for 224 yards and a TD against USC, Penn State can beat defenses in a variety of ways.
Alongside the improved PSU passing game, the running game is as good as we’ve come to expect it to be. RB Nicholas Singleton (6.9 yards per carry) is one of the best runners in the country, and his backup, Kaytron Allen, is also dangerous.
Wisconsin has whipped the also-rans in the Big Ten, but the Badgers struggled to contain not only Alabama, but also USC. UW gave up 80 points to those two.
So, with all due respect to the night atmosphere at Camp Randall Stadium and Badgers backup QB Braedyn Locke, this team just does not have the firepower to score the 30 points or more that it would need to pull the upset tonight.
Penn State vs. Wisconsin Pick, Best Bets
Call us chalky, but given what we saw from Wisconsin against both the Crimson Tide and the Trojans, Penn State winning by at least a touchdown feels like a lock.
Penn State vs. Wisconsin Best Bets
- Penn State -6.5 (-108 at DraftKings) 1 unit
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