Penn State Opens as Road Favorite at Wisconsin

The Nittany Lions bring a five-game win streak vs. the Badgers to Camp Randall Stadium for a prime-time Big Ten game.

Penn State coach James Franklin on the sidelines in the first half against the USC Trojans at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. / Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

Penn State returns from a deftly timed bye week to face another Big Ten road test. After their win at USC, the No. 3 Nittany Lions visit Wisconsin for a prime-time game Saturday at Camp Randall Stadium.

Penn State (6-0) opened as a seven-point favorite over the Badgers, according to DraftKings. Wisconsin has won three consecutve Big Ten games in fairly dominant fashion and will test the Nittany Lions, who visit Madison before their marquee home game of the season Nov. 2 against Ohio State.

Here's the first look at Saturday's Penn State vs. Wisconsin game.

No. 3 Penn State (6-0) vs. Wisconsin (5-2)

• When: 7:30 p.m. ET Saturday

• Where: Camp Randall Stadium, Madison, Wis.

• TV: NBC

• Streaming: Peacock

• Betting line: Penn State is a 7-point favorite, according to DraftKings

• Series history: Penn State leads 11-9

• Last meeting: Penn State 16-10 in 2021

About the Nittany Lions: Penn State remained at No. 3 in the AP Top 25 following its bye week, as Georgia jumped over the Nittany Lions with its win at Texas. This will be the highest-ranked Penn State team to visit Wisconsin since the No. 6 Nittany Lions won 48-7 at Camp Randall Stadium in 2008. Penn State is 5-4 in Madison since joining the Big Ten, having won its last two games there, and James Franklin is 3-0 against the Badgers as Penn State's head coach. The last time Penn State played in Madison, safeties Jaquan Brisker and Ji'Ayir Brown made key fourth-quarter interceptions, Sean Clifford threw a 49-yard touchdown pass to Jahan Dotson and the quarterback made it home in time to play "Jump Around" at a State College bar. This time, Penn State should bring a rested team to Wisconsin, one that spent the bye week on some defensive fixes. Coordinator Tom Allen in particular sought to reflect on his group's first-half performances and how to upgrade them. Offensively, quarterback Drew Allar returns to the road after delivering one his best career performances at USC. Allar went 30-for-43 for a career-high 391 yards and two touchdowns. He also rushed for 32 yards on four carries. And though Allar threw a career-high three interceptions at USC, he guided a game-tying drive, converting two fourth-and-long passes, to more than compensate.

About the Badgers: Second-year coach Luke Fickell has Wisconsin on a three-game win streak, albeit against a softer stretch of its schedule. The Badgers have outscored Purdue, Rutgers and Northwestern by a combined 117-16. Wisconsin has allowed just one touchdown in that three-game streak, with a caveat: Purdue and Northwestern rank 16th and 17th in the Big Ten in scoring and combined for three field goals against the Badgers. And in its two losses, to Alabama and USC, the Badgers allowed 80 combined points. Still, win streaks matter, and this one has buoyed the Badgers' confidence as they prepare to host Penn State at night. Quarterback Braedyn Locke has been OK filling in for the injured Tyler Van Dyke, though he's prone to turnovers. Locke has thrown five interceptions in the past four games and has a 59.3 percent completion rate. Running back Tawee Walker has been fun to watch, averaging 5.4 yards per carry and scoring nine touchdowns. Walker rushed for 198 yards and three touchdowns in a big performance against Rutgers. Fun fact: The game will feature two former East Stroudsburg University quarterbacks: Wisconsin offensive coordinator Phil Longo played one season with the Warriors in the 1980s, before Franklin arrived in the early 1990s.

More Penn State Football

What we learned about Penn State during its 6-0 start

Penn State offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki finds a muse in tight end Tyler Warren

How Penn State's second-half schedule sets up for a playoff run

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, call 1-800-GAMBLER.