Auburn vs. Penn State (-6) Betting Preview

Auburn Tigers at Penn State Nittany Lions (-6)
Saturday 9/18, 7:30 p.m. ET

Three things you need to know before betting on Auburn-Penn State:

1. The Tigers and Nittany Lions have only played once in the last 20 years, with that game being back in 2003. That means there isn’t much to draw back on in terms of their head-to-head experience, but it’s definitely worth noting that Penn State is 0-2 both straight-up and against the spread versus SEC opponents under head coach James Franklin. With that said, none of those games have been played in the last three seasons. And Franklin used to be the head coach at Vanderbilt, so he knows what it takes to face SEC competition.

2. Both Penn State and Auburn have won and covered in each of their two games to start the year, but Auburn’s pair of victories makes them 7-0 against the spread in September games since the start of 2019. In that time, the Tigers have outscored their opponents by an average margin of victory of more than 32 points. However, the Nittany Lions are 6-0 straight-up and 5-1 against the spread as home favorites of 3.5 to 7 points under Franklin. They’re also 12-4 both straight-up and against the spread when coming off a game in which they outrushed their opponent by at least 150 yards.

3. Both of Auburn’s games this season have gone Over the total, with the Tigers averaging 61 points per game in those contests. Meanwhile, the Nittany Lions come into this one after having played two games that went Under the total. This will be a real clash of styles, with Penn State knowing that its bread and butter is winning games with a combination of defense and ball control — like the team did against the Wisconsin Badgers. For what it’s worth, the Under is 4-2 in the six games in which Penn State has been favored by 3.5 to 7 points with Franklin in charge.