Penn State win total odds placed at 8.5 for 2022 season

The 2022 college football season is still a few months away, but fans — and oddsmakers — are setting their expectations. After a 7-6 year in 2021, Las Vegas thinks Penn State could increase that win total this year.

The Nittany Lions’ over-under win total is set at 8.5, according to VegasInsider. Last year, Penn State started out 5-0 before losing five of its last seven games, including a 4-5 record in Big Ten play. The Nittany Lions also fell to Arkansas 24-10 in the Outback Bowl on New Year’s Day.

Penn State also has to overcome a major loss on offense as wide receiver Jahan Dotson became a first-round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, heading to the Washington Commanders at No. 16 overall.

But James Franklin and Co. got to work on the recruiting trail this year, bringing in the nation’s No. 7 recruiting class, according to the On3 Consensus Team Recruiting Ranking. Five top-30 prospects are part of that group, led by five-star EDGE Dani Dennis-Sutton, the nation’s No. 18 recruit from the Class of 2022, according to the On3 Consensus, a complete and equally weighted industry-generated average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.

Five-star running back Nick Singleton and five-star quarterback Drew Allar also come in with high expectations as the No. 27 and No. 29 recruits in the country, respectively. The Nittany Lions also brought in former Maryland linebacker Demeioun Robinson — the No. 43 player to enter the transfer portal this year, according to the On3 Transfer Portal Rankings.

Penn State also has some starters coming back on offense, led by quarterback Sean Clifford and wide receiver KeAndre Lambert-Smith, who both started all 13 games for the Nittany Lions in 2021. Franklin’s group starts the 2022 season in Week 1 with a Thursday night showdown against Purdue on the road on Sept. 1.