With the 2017 online college football betting season in full effect, offshore sportsbooks are seeing more action than ever before. This upcoming weekend will the NCAA’s second week of US online sportsbook action, and with plenty of different matchups to choose from, college football wagering fans are bound to find a desirable betting line between the Pittsburgh Panthers and the Nittany Lions. One matchup that is drawing interesting odds is this Saturday’s contest between two Pennsylvanian programs.
Pittsburgh Panthers vs. Penn State Nittany Lions – Saturday, September 9th
Venue: Beaver Stadium, University Park, Pennsylvania
Start Time: 3:30 pm ET
TV Broadcast: ABC
Online Stream Options: ABC Sports, Watch ESPN
The Penn State Nittany Lions will be hosting their Pennsylvania rivals this weekend, sending the two halves of the state at each other’s throats. This Saturday’s rendition will mark the 98th time these two rivals have faced each other, with the Nittany Lions leading the all-time series 50-43-4.
It’s worth noting that Penn State has faced Pittsburgh more than any other program in the nation. The Panthers share that honor with West Virginia University, but that doesn’t take away from the fact that these two programs have faced each other a nearly incomprehensible amount of times.
The Panthers won’t have the opportunity to tie the series up this Saturday but Pittsburgh can still deliver a massive US online sportsbook upset to a nationally ranked opponent that is a top 4 nationally ranked opponent. Let’s see what kind of odds the underdogs are facing in this contest.
Offshore Sportsbook Odds:
Pittsburgh Panthers +21 (-110) 66 ½ (-110) +950
Penn State Nittany Lions -21 (-110) 66 ½ (-110) -1450
As was to be expected, offshore sportsbooks aren’t giving the Panthers much of a shot against their inner-state opponent.
This is largely influenced by the fact that the Panthers are coming off an 8-5 season (5-3 in ACC play) to finish 4th in the Coastal Division. Furthermore, Pittsburgh is currently unranked and they’re likely to remain that way in the coming weeks – barring a shocking upset this weekend. Nevertheless, the Panthers have some confidence coming into this game, coming mostly from their Week 1 triumph against the Youngstown State Penguins.
Not too many college football betting fans will be able to recognize the Youngstown State Penguins, but the Nittany Lions had no problem recognizing them in their 28-21 triumph over the Penguins this past Saturday. All things considered, Pittsburgh probably shouldn’t have let it get that close.
Penn State comes into this game with an unblemished 1-0 record and they’ll be looking to keep it that way. The Nittany Lions faced the Akron Zips in their 2017 opener and didn’t break a sweat in their 52-0 shutout of the Zips.
Best Sportsbook Bets to Make: Obviously a bet on the Panthers’ money line would be very profitable. However, judging by how Pittsburgh fared in Week 1, it’s not the wisest bet to make. But if you still wanted to bet on the Panthers, you could take them to cover the 66-point spread.
