Wisconsin vs Penn State Prediction: The Nittany Lions Have to Prove They Can Play
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Penn State (3-0) didn’t exactly push the envelope over the first three games of the season.
Marshall, at Temple, Buffalo. Three nice schools with plenty of positives, but their respective football programs won’t be challenging for the national title. Now the Nittany Lion slate gets more interesting.
Wisconsin (2-1) could really, really, really use a splashy win to get its season going. It got over the steamrolling from Notre Dame with blowout wins over Western Illinois and Eastern Michigan, and this is the chance for the team to show what it can do.
Wisconsin vs Penn State: Quick Hits
- These two have only played 21 times, with Penn State winning six straight going back to 2011. The Nittany Lions have a 12-9 lead, but Wisconsin won the first meeting 20-0 in the 1953 opener.
- Penn State’s world gets tough in a hurry. After this, it helps Northwestern open up its refurbished Ryan Field. After that, it’s USC, and then at Michigan.
- Wisconsin hosts Michigan State after this, and then goes to UCLA, hosts USC, and the goes to Iowa.
How To Watch Wisconsin vs Penn State
Date: Saturday, September 26, 2026
Game Time: 5:00 PM ET
TV: Peacock
Location: Beaver Stadium, State College, PA
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– CFN Expert Picks Week 4
Why Wisconsin Will Win
We still haven’t seen Colton Joseph go Colton Joseph.
The former Old Dominion quarterback was one of the nation’s most dangerous players on the move, and while he leads the Badgers with 25 carries, he hasn’t been able to break free quite yet. It’s coming at some point.
The Badger offensive line is playing better than it did last year. The running game overall is starting to work, and as Temple showed, it’s possible to run a bit on Penn State.
Why Penn State Will Win
The one thing Penn State hasn’t had to deal with in any way, shape, or form is a pass rush. So yes, it’s easy for quarterback Rocco Becht and the passing game to roll when there’s plenty of time to work.
Wisconsin doesn’t have a pass rush, either. It’s not getting behind the line, there’s not enough pressure on the quarterback, and quarterbacks are hitting 63% of their passes with plenty of time to operate. Becht will get that time.
Wisconsin vs Penn State Prediction, Betting Lines
The problem is that we still don’t quite know what either of these teams can do. Wisconsin lost to a Notre Dame team that will probably win the national title, Penn State hasn’t broken a sweat, and this is the first time we’re seeing each side play someone its own size.
The Nittany Lion defense will be a bit too fast and physical for the Wisconsin offense that couldn’t get the ground game going against Eastern Michigan. It’ll be an interesting game, even if it’s not pretty.
Penn State 27, Wisconsin 17
Latest Consensus Line: Penn State -9.5, o/u: 44.5
ATS Confidence (out of 5): 2
Must See Rating (out of 5): 3.5
Consensus line based on BetMGM, Caesars, DraftKings, and FanDuel. Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, call 1-800-GAMBLER.
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