Free NCAA Football Prediction: Penn State vs. Central Michigan Odds
Looking for Penn State Nittany Lions vs. Central Michigan Chippewas free picks? College football betting sees the Nittany Lions taking on the Chippewas on Saturday, September 24th, 2022, at Beaver Stadium in University Park, PA. Cappers Picks provides complimentary handicapping picks all NCAA football season long so stay tuned for more FREE college football game predictions like this Nittany Lions Chippewas free pick.
College Football Handicapping Analysis: Penn State Nittany Lions vs. Central Michigan Chippewas
Penn State Nittany Lions (3-0) vs. Central Michigan Chippewas (1-2)
Date: Saturday, September 24th, 2022
Time: 12:00 pm EST
Venue: Beaver Stadium
NCAA Football ATS Spread Odds: Nittany Lions -28 / Chippewas +28 (Bet Now!)
NCAA Football Moneyline Odds: Penn State -5000 / Central Michigan +1600
NCAA Betting Total Odds: O/U 63
Undefeated Penn State hosts Central Michigan before each dive into their conference schedules.
Penn State finally looks like they could make a run at the College Football Playoff. Their last really great season was 2019, then COVID swept the world in 2020, gave us an abbreviated season, James Franklin even had rumors swirling around that he might take another job.
They do have a tough schedule within the Big Ten however. This last non-conference game represents a tune-up opportunity before getting on the long road to Thanksgiving. But, If you wanna be the man, you gotta beat the man.
Penn State Nittany Lions
Penn State has really turned it on the last few weeks. After a grinding win against Purdue in week 1, they’ve dispatched their latest opponents by an average margin of victory of 32.5 points.
Sean Clifford won’t ever be a superstar, but he’s managed the game well enough to keep Penn State moving. The two stars of the offense are RB Nicholas Singleton and WR Parker Washington.
Penn State is pretty balanced offensively, but has graded out better passing the ball, rating out as a top-50 passing offense. Don’t sleep on the rushing attack though, they were able to run for 245 yards as a team with 5 scores in their latest win against Auburn.
Joey Porter Jr. was absolutely fantastic in the opening game against Purdue and SP+ loves the Nittany Lions defense, ranking them 9th. They’ve kept opponents to 11 ppg in their last two and will now draw a CMU offense that is 55th in offensive success rate.
Central Michigan Chippewas
For the recreational bettor, Central Michigan will either conjure up fun memories or make them never want to bet Oklahoma State again. The Chips backdoored the Cowboys late in a week 1 thriller. But hey, that’s sports betting, baby.
Central Michigan brought home their first win last week against FCS Bucknell. Lew Nichols did most of the work, getting 30 carries and producing 166 yards and 2 scores. Through their first two games, QB Daniel Richardson threw 46+ times, and is reflected in CMU’s overall pass play rate of 56% (28th). They’ll face Penn State’s top-50 defensive passing success rate.
Though the Chips haven’t ranked well in defensive success rate, they have been able to generate a top-35 havoc number. As an underdog, your hope is that you can produce some negative plays on defense and put the pressure on the opposing team to make a play. Third downs have been a bit of a challenge for the Chips though, allowing opponents to convert 38% of third down chances.
NCAA Football Handicapping Trends
- Central Michigan is 6-1-1 ATS in its last 8 games
- Central Michigan is 6-2 SU in its last 8 games
- The total has gone OVER in 4 of Penn State’s last 5 games
- Penn State is 8-2 SU in its last 10 games at home
4* Free Penn State Nittany Lions vs. Central Michigan Chippewas NCAA Betting Final Analysis:
Central Michigan’s offense runs tempo, ranking 10th in seconds per play. Penn State is much more relaxed, at 69th in seconds per play. Due to the nature of their paces, it will be difficult for Penn State to cover this number.
Central Michigan should be able to score, and of course I always love the backdoor opportunities. Overall, I think this will end up being a low scoring grind.
4* Free Penn State Nittany Lions vs. Central Michigan Chippewas NCAA Betting Pick: Chippewas +28
Penn State Nittany Lions vs. Central Michigan Chippewas Free Score Prediction: Nittany Lions 24 – Chippewas 17 (Bet Now!)If you’re looking for more picks like this Penn State Nittany Lions vs. Central Michigan Chippewas matchup we’ll be providing 4* free College football game predictions on the blog all season long, and check out our Experts for guaranteed premium & free CFB Football picks!
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