Penn State-Delaware predictions: How college football experts, computer data systems are picking the game
Penn State won and covered against a Power Five foe last Saturday when the No. 7 Nittany Lions knocked off West Virginia 38-15 in a primetime Week 1 contest at Beaver Stadium. In Week 2, head coach James Franklin’s program aims to do the same against FCS opponent Delaware. Kickoff is set for Noon ET and the game will stream exclusively on Peacock, which means it is not available on cable or satellite television.
The Lions are dealing with bumps, bruises, and some illnesses, Franklin said Wednesday night. No matter, his team is an enormous favorite to beat the Blue Hens, who are the first FCS program to come to State College since Penn State took out Villanova in 2021.
Unlike most weeks, few national media outlets are weighing in on the outcome of the contest. But, local beat writers and computer data systems are. All think the Lions will win. By how much? Our rundown is below.
Computer model picks for Penn State-Delaware
At ESPN, Bill Connelly’s SP+ model predicts a 40-8 victory for Penn State.
Sportsline is not offering a projection this week. Neither is The Dunkel Index or The Athletic’s XMOV model from Austin Mock.
Lions-Blue Hens picks from a national perspective
At College Football News, Pete Fiutak calls for a 48-10 Penn State win.
“Penn State was terrific against the Mountaineers, even if the final score didn’t make it look like a dominant performance,” he writes.
“It was the first game of the season with a new starting quarterback and new parts in other key spots, and no turnovers, one penalty, good control of the game by halftime. It’ll get up fast in this, get the timing down a bit more, utilize the ground game, and move on to Illinois – trying to be unscathed along the way.”
Bleacher Report’s David Kenyon, meanwhile, envisions a 49-3 Nittany Lions blowout.
“Penn State will continue the trend of Top 10 blowouts,” Kenyon writes. “Still, it’s an important tune-up game for the Nittany Lions as they prepare for Big Ten competition Illinois and Iowa during the next two weekends.”
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Beat writer predictions for Penn State-Delaware
At PennLive, its Penn State coverage team is picking the Lions to win by an average score of 50.4 to 5.4. Kevin Tresolini, who covers the Blue Hens for the Delaware News Journal, has it Penn State 44, Delaware 10.
“This is likely the biggest football challenge Delaware has ever faced,” Tresolini writes. “No.-7 Penn State is the highest ranked FBS foe Delaware has played and it’ll also be the largest crowd to ever see the Blue Hens, making for an intimidating environment. Delaware, which is 19th in the latest FCS Top 25, does have the potential for offensive firepower and to create turnovers on defense. But the Hens still look to be extremely overmatched.”
Frank Bodani of the York Daily Record sees it PSU 54, UD 6. And, Three of four pickers at the Daily Collegian have the Lions winning by 40, and all see it by more than 30.
How the BWI staff picked the game
Nate Bauer: PSU: 42, Delaware: 7
Sean Fitz: Penn State: 55, Delaware 10
Thomas Frank Carr: PSU: 52, Delaware 10
Matt Herb: Penn State: 52, Delaware 13
Greg Pickel: PSU: 50, Delaware 3
Ryan Snyder: Penn State: 45, Delaware 10
