After playing annually for more than 45 years, the Penn State Nittany Lions’ series against the West Virginia Mountaineers took a 30-year break until last season. Now, the No. 9 ranked Nittany Lions return to Milan Puskar Field for the first time since 1992 to kick off the 2024 season.
Penn State owns the series against WVU with a 49-9-2 record, and the Nittany Lions have won the past five contests. The Big Ten school has loads of talent across the board, especially on defense with future NFL athlete Abdul Carter highlighting that group.
In the new-look Big 12 Conference, WVU is predicted to finish seventh this season. That’s despite having 18 starters returning this season, including eight on the offense. Quarterback Garrett Greene will enjoy his second season manning the offense after a breakout performance last year.
Can WVU snap Penn State’s winning streak, or will the Nittany Lions claim both games in this home-and-home series before this rivalry goes dormant again? We’ll cover that and our three top player prop bets below.
Penn State has one of the best running backs in the country with Nicholas Singleton returning to Happy Valley in 2024. But quarterback Drew Allar stole the show last season against WVU, throwing for 325 yards and three touchdowns to beat the Mountaineers 38-15.
This season, expect WVU – who returns a load of defensive front talent – to yield significant chunks of offense to Allar again. The Mountaineers only return two experienced defensive backs, giving bettors confidence that Allar will easily surpass the 215.5-yard mark on Saturday.
Senior Garrett Greene will attempt to become the first quarterback to beat WVU since Heisman candidate Major Harris roamed the sidelines. Last season, Greene was a dual-threat quarterback with 2,406 passing yards while also rushing for 772 yards on the ground.
Greene recorded 71 rushing yards last season against Penn State, and the quarterback exceeded 43 yards in three straight games to close out WVU’s 20223 campaign. Expect him to again use his feet against the Nittany Lions and cover this player prop bet.
Penn State has a load of receiving talent roaming the Nittany Lions’ sidelines this season, including tight end Tyler Warren. While the senior was underutilized in 2023, he showed his potential against Ole Miss in the Peach Bowl by finishing with 127 yards on five catches.
The remainder of the year was less than stellar. Warren recorded only two games all season that surpassed the 38-yard mark, a foreboding statistic heading into this matchup. Expect WVU to yield yards to wide receivers instead of the tight end, keeping him from covering this prop bet.
There are certainly reasons to believe that this rivalry game will be a close affair, especially as WVU is looking to start their season with a win in their home opener. The Mountaineers also return a lot of experienced players who should keep the Big 12 team in this game throughout.
In the end, however, expect Penn State to pull away and win by at least eight points if not double-figures. Head coach James Franklin is under significant pressure to produce an NCAA playoff appearance this season, and beating the Mountaineers is a strong start toward that goal.
We will lay the 7.5 points with the Nittany Lions as our best bet.