Penn State vs. West Virginia: Early point spread released on Nittany Lions, Mountaineers

Penn State and West Virginia are set to square off in a season opener that should offer plenty of intrigue as the Nittany Lions look to earn a College Football Playoff berth and the Mountaineers look to surge to the top of the newly formed Big 12. And the early point spread promises intrigue.

According to lines listed by FanDuel, the Nittany Lions enter the game as an 8.5-point favorite. The over/under point total for the game is listed at 51.5 points.

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How to watch Penn State vs. West Virginia

Time: 12 p.m. ET
Channel: FOX, FuboTV (streaming)
Location: Morgantown, WV – Milan Puskar Stadium

As Penn State heads into the 2024 season it’ll do so with a considerable amount of change, particularly on the offensive side of the ball. That may be one reason the early point spread isn’t more lopsided despite the talent gap.

Sure, quarterback Drew Allar is back and the hope is high that he can continue to develop into an elite prospect at the position. But another change could really help: the hire of new offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki.

Kotelnicki is expected to revamp the Nittany Lions offense. So far, he thinks the team has done a good job adapting to his changes. Enough to cover the early point spread?

“I’ve been pleased,” Kotelnicki said. “And I’ve commented before about how I just care that our guys are getting better every day, and that is evident. We are definitely a better football team from the very first practice I was part of this spring, to now. And every one of those, we’ve had growth.

“They’re never gonna be perfect. I think that’s very natural for us, as coaches, to be critical and never be satisfied. I think that that’s why we’re sitting in the chairs that we do. So I don’t know that we’re ever gonna leave a game or a practice and be like, gosh, that was perfect. But I am pleased because the mistakes that we make, we’re correcting. Everyone is coachable and willing to grow.”

On the other side, West Virginia is riding some real momentum after a surprising turnaround in 2023. The Mountaineers won nine games, helping take the heat off coach Neal Brown considerably.

Can they build on that and take the next step? A win over Penn State would certainly go a long way to doing that.

And judging by the early point spread, Las Vegas doesn’t consider it totally out of the realm of possibility, particularly playing at home.

Penn State and West Virginia will kick off at noon ET on Saturday with a broadcast on FOX.