Penn State Opens as Big Favorite Over Unbeaten Illinois

The Nittany Lions will host the Illini in a prime-time duel between ranked teams at Beaver Stadium.

Penn State running back Nicholas Singleton carries the ball during the first quarter against the Kent State Golden Flashes at Beaver Stadium. / Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images

After covering its largest spread since at least 1995, Penn State is another substantial home favorite for its Big Ten opener against a ranked opponent. Maybe even a surprisingly substantial home favorite.

Penn State opened as an 18-point favorite for its Big Ten game Saturday night against Illinois, acording to DraftKings. The Nittany Lions (3-0) have been double-digit favorites three times this season, going 3-1 against the spread (never mind that Bowling Green game). That includes a 56-0 victory over Kent State, a game in which Penn State rolled up a school-record 718 yards of total offense.

Following the game, Penn State announced that its Big Ten opener will kick off at 7:30 p.m. ET on NBC's Big Ten Saturday Night broadcast. Though the game technically isn't the Penn State White Out, Nittany Lions coach James Franklin nudged fans to bring "White Out energy" to Beaver Stadium.

What to know about Penn State's Big Ten opener? Here's the first look at Penn State vs. Illinois.

Penn State (3-0) vs. Illinois (4-0)

• When: 7:30 p.m. ET Saturday

• Where: Beaver Stadium

• TV: NBC

• Betting line: Penn State is an 18-point favorite, according to DraftKings

• Series history: Penn State leads 21-6

• Last meeting: Penn State 30-13 in 2023

About the Nittany Lions: So after they swept the non-conference schedule, averaging 41.3 points per game, what do we really know about the Nittany Lions? First, quarterback Drew Allar is channeling his confidence in Andy Kotelnicki's offense to great success thus far. Allar ranks second nationally in quarterback rating (218.34) and yards per attempt (12.6) and has a 70.7-percent completion rate. That yards-per-attempt number is key. Allar finished last season with a sub-60-percent completion rate while throwing shorter passes (6.8 per attempt). Kotelnicki is asking more from Allar, and the quarterback is delivering. Granted, it's three non-conference games, one against the nation's lowest-ranked defense in Kent State, but the progress is demonstrable. Allar just needs to stretch that success to a larger sample size. Meanwhile, Penn State continues to make explosive plays the keynote of its offense. Against Kent State, the Nittany Lions generated 11 more pass plays of 15+ yards (three by Beau Pribula, one from tight end Tyler Warren) and 12 run plays of 10+ yards. In all, Penn State totaled 62 percent (445) of its 718 total yards against Kent State on explosive plays. Again, Kent State. However, through just three games, Penn State already has almost as many plays of 40+ yards (six) as it did all of last season (eight). This is a different offense.

About the Illini: Don't let the words "Illinois" and "overtime" distract you from Bret Bielema's latest bit of road theatrics. The Illini beat ranked Nebraska 31-24 on the road Friday night, improving to 4-0 for the first time since 2011. Illinois has wins over then-ranked Kansas and Nebraska and played a pretty stellar defensive game against the Cornhuskers. The Illini held Nebraska to 50 rushing yards and sacked quarterback Dylan Raiola five times, three on the Cornhuskers' lone overtime possession. Illinois quarterback Luke Altmyer, whose 13/10 touchdown-interception ratio was the defining story of his 2023 season, looks much different. He threw four touchdown passes at Nebraska, giving him 10 on the season, and has yet to throw an interception. Altmyer has two playmaking receivers in Pat Bryant (Big Ten-best six touchdowns) and Zakhari Franklin, who will stress Penn State's secondary. That run game can be exhausting, too, particularly with 6-3, 250-pound back Kaden Feagin, whose 21-yard run to begin overtime set up the game-winning touchdown pass.

More Penn State Football

What they said after Penn State's win over Kent State

James Franklin on Penn State's penalties: "It embarrasses me"

3 things we learned from Penn State's shutout of Kent State

Penn State on SI is the place for Penn State news, opinion and perspective on the SI.com network. Publisher Mark Wogenrich has covered Penn State for more than 20 years, tracking three coaching staffs, three Big Ten titles and a catalog of great stories. Follow him on X (or Twitter) @MarkWogenrich.

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