Penn State Opens as Historic Favorite Over Kent State

The Nittany Lions are 49-point favorites against the Golden Flashes, ESPN's lowest-rated team in college football.

Penn State University students cheer during the third quarter against the Bowling Green Falcons at Beaver Stadium. / Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images

Penn State has been a big betting favorite in several college football games recently, but Saturday's game against Kent State might be the biggest line ever involving the Nittany Lions. Or at least the biggest since the 1990s.

Penn State opened as a 49-point favorite over Kent State, according to DraftKings, which is the biggest betting line for a Nittany Lions game recorded at Oddsshark. The site's betting database has lines for Penn State games dating to 1995, and the highest until now was for the Penn State-Akron game in 1999. The Nittany Lions were favored by 44.5 points in that game and covered. Saturday's Penn State-Kent State game could be one for the scoring ages.

Though Penn State (2-0) fell two spots to No. 10 in this week's AP Top 25 poll, the team emerged from its bye week as an overwhelming favorite over Kent State. The reason: Kent State (0-3) is the lowest-rated team in college football, according to the ESPN College Football Power Index. After a 71-0 loss to Tennessee last Saturday, the Golden Flashes retained their spot at No. 134 in the FPI, which projects them to win 1.3 games this season.

Tennessee on Saturday scored 65 first-half points and set program records for total points and total yards (740). The Volunteers offered Kent State a running clock in the second half, but the Golden Flashes declined.

"That's now who we are as a football team," Kent State coach Kenny Burns told reporters in Knoxville after the game. "That's not who we are as a culture. There are a lot of teams that lost today in lump sums. They're not getting running clocks. A football game is a football game. I talked to our captains about it, and they said absolutely not. I said absolutely not. It's just not who we are at all as a football program. No way. I think the second half you saw their response to it. They came back, they fought from it, and that is what their coach [Josh Heupel] said to us after the game that our fight in the second half was impressive."

According to Oddsshark, Penn State has been favored by 40 or more points four other times since 1995. The Nittany Lions covered the spread all four times. That includes two games last season:

• 2023: Penn State (-42) vs. UMass. Final score: Penn State 63, UMass 0

• 2023: Penn State (-42) vs. Delaware. Final score: Penn State 63, Delaware 7

• 2019: Penn State (-42) vs. Idaho. Final score: Penn State 79, Idaho 7

• 1999: Penn State (-46.5) vs. Akron. Final score: Penn State 70, Akron 24

Penn State has been pretty solid against the spread as a favorite of late. In their last 19 games as favorites, the Nittany Lions are 15-3-1. However, Penn State did not cover as a 34.5-point favorite in its home opener against Bowling Green.

Saturday's Penn State-Kent State game kicks off at 3:30 p.m. ET at Beaver Stadium. Big Ten Network will televise.

More Penn State Football

First look: Penn State vs. Kent State

The most interesting stats of Penn State's 2-0 start

Penn State deals with an early "spike" in injuries

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.

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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