Our staff at Nittany Sports Now has its predictions for what will be a pretty big football game between Penn State and Wisconsin Saturday night but what are the national experts saying?
Penn State football comes in 6-0 and ranked No. 3.
Wisconsin, which split its first four games, has won three in a row to move to 5-2. The result of this from a Vegas standpoint is Penn State being favored by 6.5-points on the road. Penn State hasnโt lost a regular-season game as a favorite since October 2021.
Hereโs what national media expertsโ and a few Wisconsin beat writersโ predict will happen on what could be a wild nightโ good or badโ for Penn State football.
BRIAN DOHN, 247Sports
Did Wisconsin beat up on a pair of weak opponents in topping Rutgers and Purdue by a combined 94-13,โ Dohn wrote, โor did the Badgers figure things out after big losses to Alabama and USC? The feeling is somewhere in the middle, which could make this a difficult game for the Nittany Lions during their toughest stretch of the season. Penn State is coming off a bye, has momentum from the comeback win at USC, and quarterback Drew Allarโs game-tying drive at the end of regulation should give the Lions confidence going into what could be a tough environment.
Prediction: Penn State 27, Wisconsin 17
MATT HERB, ON3
โCamp Randall Stadium is a tough place to play, no doubt,โ Herb wrote. โItโll be especially inhospitable at night under the primetime lights. But the Nittany Lions have won three of their past four games in Madison, and they showed at USC that theyโve got the kind of team that can go on the road and pull out a win against a talented opponent.
Three performers in particular stood out in the overtime victory over the Trojans, and they inspire optimism heading into what figures to be another tough test against Wisconsin. There was Tyler Warren, obviously, and Allar, who, with the Nittany Lions needing points in the second half, went 17-for-23 for 264 yards and two touchdowns.
There was also Ryan Barker. Allar and Warren had been expected to do big things this year, but the Lionsโ kicking situation was a concern. A month ago, if you had told me that the USC game would come down to a field goal, I wouldnโt have felt good about PSUโs chances. But while the sample size is small, Barker showed against the Trojans that heโs capable of delivering in high-pressure situations. Given the difficulty of the opponent and the venue, along with Penn Stateโs penchant for not covering the spread (6.5 points this week), it wouldnโt be surprising if the Lions were to find themselves faced with another situation in which field-goal kicking proves crucial.
Prediction: Penn State 27, Wisconsin 21ย
MARK STEWART, MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL
โIt seems like the deeper into the season we get, the less we know,โ Stewart wrote. โTeams we thought were really good have struggled of late and teams that had slow starts are gaining steam. That is where the Badgers stand. I worry about UWโs pass defense, but overall like the teamโs trajectory in all three phases of the game. Penn State survived close calls against Bowling Green and USC. Not this week.
Prediction: Wisconsin 24, Penn State 20
JR RADCLIFFE, MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL
โWisconsin is in a much better place than it was the last time it faced a team this good, back when it hosted Alabama,โ Radcliffe wrote. โMoreover, it’s not like Penn State has outright dominated its schedule, at least not to the degree that you’d think for โNo. 3 team in the country.โ It’s still a monumental task for the Badgers to win this game. Tight end Tyler Warren is a genuine problem, one I don’t think UW will always have an answer for. Penn State has some off-the-field issues this week and is prone to hiccups coming off a bye under James Franklin; throw in a night-game atmosphere at Camp Randall and it’s an ideal laboratory for Wisconsin to pull an upset. I just don’t know if it can pull it off. Will keeping it close be enough to satisfy the fan base?
Prediction:ย Penn State 24, Wisconsin 20
NICK OSEN, BADGER247
COMMENT: Wisconsin upsets Penn State,โ Osen writes, โif the Badgers can win the turnover battle and hold the Nittany Lions to three touchdowns or less, not including any field goals in that aspect. The Badgers will have a tougher time if they get behind early, and struggle in stopping the run game from Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen.
I see Penn State holding a late lead, and Nathanial Vakos and Wisconsin kicking a late 38-yard field goal for the win in Madison, following a highly contested matchup.
There are high expectations for the atmosphere in this one, and I see Camp Randall living up to the hype on Halloween weekend in Madtown. I think we are in for a treat, in terms of a high-level ballgame on Saturday.
Prediction: Wisconsin 26, Penn State 24