Indiana vs. Penn State prediction, pick, spread: No. 2 Hoosiers hit the road to take on Nittany Lions
The No. 2 Hoosiers look to stay unbeaten against a Penn State team trying to find itself following the firing of James Franklin
By
Tom Fornelli
•
2 min read
It's a battle of two programs heading in totally different directions this weekend when No. 2 Indiana heads east to take on the remains of Penn State. The Hoosiers are on top of the college football world, as they checked in at No. 2 in the first edition of the College Football Playoff rankings, and have a quarterback in Fernando Mendoza atop the odds board for the Heisman Trophy.
Penn State? Well, the Nittany Lions came into the season ranked No. 2 and have played like number two for the last month. It led to the firing of James Franklin, and a season-ending injury to quarterback Drew Allar hasn't helped things, either. The Nittany Lions are 0-5 in Big Ten play and doesn't seem to have a whole lot left to play for.
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Still, even though this doesn't feel like an even matchup, nobody should ever take a trip to Beaver Stadium lightly. It's still 100,000 people who are angry, even if they're angry at the home team.
Where to watch Indiana vs. Penn State live
Date: Saturday, November 8 | Time: 12 p.m. ET
Location: Beaver Stadium -- University Park, PA
TV: Fox | Live stream: Fubo (Try for free)
Indiana vs. Penn State: Need to know
Curt Cignetti is keeping great company: Indiana is off to a 9-0 start for the second straight season under Curt Cignetti, and they're the only two 9-0 starts in school history. It's an impressive accomplishment that becomes even more noteworthy when you take it outside the history of Indiana football. Cignetti is only the third Big Ten coach in history to start 9-0 in his first two seasons at a school. The other two? Urban Meyer at Ohio State in 2012-13 and Fielding Yost at Michigan in 1901-02!
Penn State is in company all its own: The Nittany Lions are 3-5 on the season after a 3-0 start. That 3-5 mark is the worst record any team has ever had after eight games when that team began the season ranked in the top two of the AP Top 25. Their five-game losing streak is also the longest losing streak any preseason top-2 team has ever had. Things are not going well.
The one thing Penn State has on its side here is history: If Penn State is looking for anything to cling to in order to feel better about its situation this week it can look at its all-time record against Indiana. The Nittany Lions are 25-2 all time against the Hoosiers, though the two teams didn't play last year. Penn State dominated their time together in the old East Division and has never lost to the Hoosiers in Beaver Stadium.
Indiana vs. Penn State prediction, picks
It's extremely difficult to back Penn State right now. The truth is this team looked like it quit the moment it lost to Oregon in double-overtime. Things have not gotten any better since the firing of James Franklin, or the season-ending injury to Drew Allar. Indiana is dealing with some injuries, but Curt Cignetti's team has never been one to take it easy on anybody. Pick: Indiana -14.5
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