Penn State vs. Purdue odds, spread, line: 2022 college football picks, Week 1 game prediction

College Football Power Index picks, prediction for Penn State vs. Purdue

Purdue hosts Penn State in a Big Ten clash to open the 2022 college football schedule in an early battle between veteran quarterbacks.

Aidan O'Connell spearheads the Boilermakers' passing attack, but loses his top two receivers, while Sean Clifford steps back in for Penn State, now with WKU transfer Mitchell Tinsley providing a reliable target.

What do the experts think of Saturday's game? Let's see what the Football Power Index computer predicts for the matchup.

Penn State vs. Purdue football prediction

Football Power Index gives Penn State a comfortable edge in the game, with a 60.2 percent chance to defeat Purdue in the season opener.

By contrast, the Boilermakers have a 39.8 percent shot to win at home.

The bookmakers forecast a close game, with Penn State getting the slight advantage coming in as 3.5 point favorites in Week 1.

The index placed Penn State as the No. 16 team in the first college football rankings of the year, good for fourth in the Big Ten.

FPI predicts the Nittany Lions will win 7.9 games this season with a 2.2 percent chance to win the Big Ten, and a 16.2 percent shot to make the College Football Playoff.

The computer projects Penn State will be 12.6 points better on average than every team on its schedule.

Purdue comes in at No. 41 nationally, according to the index, good for just 10th in the conference, and expected to win 6.9 games this fall.

FPI predicts the Boilermakers will be 6.2 points better than the teams on its schedule, and have a 17.3 percent chance to win the division.

College Football Power Index

ESPN Football Power Index (FPI) college football rankings are a measure of team strength that predicts a team’s future performance. 

Rankings and scores predictions are based on 10,000 simulations of a team’s season, using a combination of analytics, including scores to date, quality of opponents, and a team’s schedule.

College football rankings

According to AP Top 25 poll

1. Alabama
2. Ohio State
3. Georgia
4. Clemson
5. Notre Dame
6. Texas A&M
7. Utah
8. Michigan
9. Oklahoma
10. Baylor
11. Oregon
12. Oklahoma State
13. NC State
14. USC
15. Michigan State
16. Miami
17. Pittsburgh
18. Wisconsin
19. Arkansas
20. Kentucky
21. Ole Miss
22. Wake Forest
23. Cincinnati
24. Houston
25. BYU

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