Penn State Nittany Lions Odds

Penn State Nittany Lions Football

For the first time since 2004, Penn State suffered a losing record last season. While some of that can be blamed on the shortened schedule due to COVID-19, it’s still a disappointment for the Nittany Lions, who started the year with a No. 7 national ranking.

Oddsmakers expect a rebound in 2021, giving them the third-best odds to win the Big Ten and setting their win total at nine games. Head coach James Franklin will try to get back to his winning ways with a more normal schedule.

See all of the Nittany Lions' odds above, as well as their against-the-spread (ATS) performance, full schedule, team trends, depth charts, key injuries and much more.

Penn State Nittany Lions Point Spreads

Oddsmakers had a very optimistic view of the Nittany Lions in 2020, installing them as favorites against-the-spread in seven contests, with the lone exceptions being games against Iowa and Ohio State.

To win a spread bet, known as "covering," favorites have to win by more than the amount of the spread, while underdogs just need to lose by less than that amount. Here’s an example:

• Penn State -3 (-110)
• Michigan +3 (-110)

If Penn State wins, 21-20, it wins the game but Michigan covers the spread. For the Nittany Lions to cover, they have to win by four or more, while a three-point victory is a tie and both sides of the bet get refunded.

Penn State Nittany Lions Over/Unders

Another way to bet on the Nittany Lions is with over/under, or totals, bets. With this type of bet, it doesn't matter which team wins or by how much — it’s all about the points on the board. An over bet means you’re expecting more points than the total set by the sportsbook, while an under means you’re expecting fewer.

For example, if Penn State vs. Michigan has a 51.5-point total, a 27-17 game wins it for under bettors. Overs bettors are hoping for 52 or more total points.

Penn State Nittany Lions Moneylines

If it seems overwhelming to correctly pick how much a team will win or lose by, or even how many points both teams will combine for, moneyline bets can make things more simple. This type of bet is simply a wager on which team will win. It doesn't matter whether it's by two points or 20 points — a win is a win.

The odds are where these get a little more complicated. Teams expected to win are favorites and get minus odds, while the team less likely to win is the underdog and gets a plus sign. For example, if Penn State is a +375 underdog against Ohio State and wins, a $10 bet would pay $47.50 ($10 bet and $37.50 in profit). If the Nittany Lions were -375 favorites, you’d need to risk $37.50 for the same return ($10 profit and $37.50 bet returned).

You can use our Odds Calculator to calculate any bet amount or conversion.

Penn State Nittany Lions Props

The Nittany Lions averaged over 400 yards of total offense per game last season, which is great for player prop bettors. Player props are bets on specific players' stats at the end of the game, usually in an over/under fashion.

For example, you can bet over or under on QB Sean Clifford's passing yards, RB Noah Cain's rushing touchdowns, WR Jahan Dotson's receptions and many more.

Penn State Nittany Lions Futures

With 80-1 odds (+8000), a bet on the Nittany Lions to bring a title back to State College would pay off in a big way if they pulled it off. This kind of bet is known as a future and is determined by the entirety of the season.

Other futures you could make on the Nittany Lions in 2021 are over or under team wins for the season and odds to win the Big Ten. You can also make most of these bets during the season at updated odds.