In sports, there are low spreads, then there are high spreads, and then there’s the Penn State-Kent State line.
Penn State is a 48.5-point favorite, and no that is not a typo.
PSU is No. 10 in the country.
Kent State, on the other hand, has lost its two games against FBS competition by a combined 102 points. Again, that’s not a typo. Kent State’s other loss was only by six points, but came against FCS St. Francis. In Kent State’s most recent game, it lost at No. 7 Tennessee 71-0, and it was 65-0 at halftime. So, yeah, this one could get ugly.
How high is this spread?
Well, dating back to 1990, Penn State has never been favored by more according to Oddsshark.
Records only date back to 1990, but Saturday’s 49.5 point spread is the most Penn State has ever (!) been favored against any team (FBS or FCS). The previous high was on 9/4/1999 vs. Akron (-44.5) which resulted in a 70-24 Penn State win.
— Jaret Gold (@JaretGold) September 15, 2024
The previous high was 44.5, which Penn State had against Akron in 1999.
Penn State ended up barely covering in a 70-24 win. Although Penn State has been good against the spread— it covered in nine of its 10 wins last season— it didn’t come close to covering in its last game. Against Bowling Green, Penn State came in as 34.5-point favorites and won by 7.
Some Penn State fans have citied the closer-than-expected win over Bowling Green as reasons not to be too comfortable coming into the Kent State game.
A key difference here is that Bowling Green hasn’t lost a game by 71 points this season and isn’t likely to.
Penn State has been favored by 40 or more points four times since 1990 and has covered each time.
Will today make it five-for-five? Plenty of Penn State fans will be finding out in person at Beaver Stadium, but for those who aren’t, here’s how to watch and listen to the game.
Kickoff time: 3:30
TV: Big Ten Network
TV announcers: Jeff Levering (pxp), Jake Butt (analysis), Brooke Fletcher (sidelines)
Raido: Penn State Football Radio Affiliates
Radio announcers: Steve Jones (PXP), Jack Ham (color), Brian Tripp (sideline)
SiriusXM: 196/958/994
