The Villanova Wildcats take on the Penn State Nittany Lions in University Park, PA. Kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m. ET on Fox Sports 1.
Penn State is favored by -48.5 points on the spread, and the total is set at 55.5 points.
Here’s my Villanova vs. Penn State predictions and college football picks for Saturday, September 13, 2025.
Villanova vs Penn State Prediction
- Villanova vs. Penn State Pick: Villanova +48.5
My Penn State vs. Villanova best bet is on the Wildcats spread. Find the best line available on our live NCAAF odds page.
Villanova vs Penn State Odds
| Villanova Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+48.5 -110 | 55.5 -110o / -110u | N/A |
| Penn State Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-48.5 -110 | 55.5 -110o / -110u | N/A |
- Villanova vs Penn State point spread: Penn State -48.5
- Villanova vs Penn State over/under: 55.5 points
Villanova vs Penn State Preview
Villanova Wildcats Betting Preview: This Won't Be Competitive
Last week, Villanova opened its season with a thrilling 24-17 victory over Colgate in a back and forth affair that saw quarterback Pat McQuaide throw for 299 yards and a touchdown.
The running game was stifled outside of one long play by McQuaide, as the Wildcats posted just 3.3 yards per carry on the ground.
The defense played well against the run, but while replacing some key pieces in the secondary, the Wildcats gave up five explosive pass plays to the Raiders.
This won't be a very competitive game this week against Penn State, but it'll give Villanova a chance to improve and get ready for CAA play, which starts next week.
Penn State Nittany Lions Betting Preview: Looking to Convert in Red Zone
Penn State has looked dominant defensively in two blowout wins against overmatched opponents to start the 2025 season, and this game appears to be headed for a similar result.
The defense has been lights out, allowing less than four yards per play and just five yards per pass.
Offensively, Penn State has faced very little adversity, but there are some opportunities for this bunch to execute at a higher level situationally.
Penn State is just converting 36% of its third downs and five of 11 red zone trips have resulted in field goals.
I would imagine this group isn't satisfied with these results, and I would expect these situations to be addressed this week in practice and during the bye week.
Villanova vs Penn State Pick, Betting Analysis
While Penn State is the much stronger team, I still think Villanova covers this massive number. I projected this -40.5, and you're paying a premium to back the Nittany Lions.
The most concerning element isn't what happens on the field necessarily, but it’s that Penn State is 0-2 against the spread, and we know “Big Game” James Franklin knows the number and seeks actively to cover it.
Villanova is really going to struggle to move the football in this game if Penn State is motivated to shut down the run. The Wildcats were unable to run the ball with consistency against Colgate last week, as 46 of their rushing yards came on two plays. The team averaged 2.5 yards per rush outside of that.
Nova broke a couple of long 50-yard pass plays last week, but I'm not confident that the Wildcats' receiving group is talented to consistently win against the Penn State defensive backs.
The Wildcats are going to play at an extremely slow pace, almost always exhausting the play clock in an effort to truncate this game down and keep the Penn State offense on the sidelines.
The Colgate game played to nine possessions. I don’t think Nova will be able to control the pace of this game as well as it did last week, but it's going to play slow.
Defensively, Nova is fairly stout against the run and its front seven has six players back from last year who started a majority of the campaign.
Obinna Nwobodo and Ayden Howard are impressive CAA-level players who could have an impact in the pass rush. The linebacker group is experienced, and Villanova should — at a minimum — provide some resistance to Penn State wanting to line up and run the football.
There's too much at stake to keep Drew Allar in this game deep into the second half just because you're trying to cover the number. There's limited experience behind him and the risk to Penn State has to be considered when this game is out of reach.
We didn't see Ethan Grunkemeyer in Penn State’s last contest, and we have to assume he plays quite a bit here.
Either way, I think Nova can hang within this massive number and do enough to cover.
Pick: Villanova +48.5
