Before Betting on Penn State vs Purdue Week 1
Even though the offshore odds don’t completely agree, Thursday’s season opening Penn State vs Purdue week 1 matchup looks like a toss-up. The Big Ten foes are facing nearly identical situations heading into 2022 – returning experienced QBs, having to replace NFL bound receivers, and trying to find consistency after up and down 2021 campaigns.
Penn State had no problem starting fast last season, busting out of the gates 5-0 and getting up to #4 in the country before a 23-20 loss to #3 Iowa sent them to a 2-5 finish over the rest of the year. One of the reasons PSU faltered was because QB Sean Clifford was banged up, but the redshirt Senior is back after leading Penn State to the #22 passing offense in the country last season – although his top receiver Jahan Dotson was a 1st round pick in the NFL draft.
Purdue was 8-4 last year, but with their potent passing attack they were a team that nobody wanted to face just because of their potential. That was on display in upset wins over #2 Iowa and #3 Michigan State and there’s reasons to think the Boilermakers could be even better than their #8 passing attack from a year ago.
Purdue coaches didn’t know what they had in QB Aidan O’Connell early in the season and as a result he split time with Jack Plummer. Once O’Connell got the job full time he threw for over 300 yards in 6 of the last 9 games of the season including a whopping 534 in the bowl game win over Tennessee.
| Offshore Sportsbook | Moneyline | Total | Point Spread |
|---|---|---|---|
| BetOnline | PSU (-162) | Purdue (+142) | 53 | PSU -3 (-108) | Purdue +3 (-112) |
| Bovada | PSU (-170) | Purdue (+145) | 53.5 | PSU -3.5 (-105) | Purdue +3.5 (-115) |
| BetUS | PSU (-160) | Purdue (+140) | 53.5 | PSU -3.5 (-110) | Purdue +3.5 (-110) |
| SportsBetting.ag | PSU (-162) | Purdue (+142) | 53 | PSU -3 (-113) | Purdue +3 (-107) |
| Pinnacle | PSU (-162) | Purdue (+140) | 53.5 | PSU -3 (-115) | Purdue +3 (+100) |
| MyBookie | PSU (-175) | Purdue (+142) | 54.5 | PSU -3 (-110) | Purdue +3 (-110) |
Penn State did a good job of bending but not breaking in allowing just 16.8 ppg last season, 7th fewest in the nation. It’s hard to trust that performance early in the season though with no film on how Purdue is going to evolve their potent passing attack in 2022. Taking the points with the home team seems the way to go.
