Penn State, Temple open season as favorites in home openers ahead of Week 1 college football slate

From Caleb Williams making his magic look easy for USC to UMass winning its first road game in five years, Week 0 of the college football season gave us insight on what to expect ahead of a jam-packed schedule for Week 1, which kicks off with 11 games on Thursday.

Among the teams in action this week are Temple and Penn State, as both will begin their seasons at home on Saturday. Penn State will face Big 12 foe West Virginia at 7:30 p.m., and the Owls will play Akron at 2 p.m., with the Zips in their third season with head coach Joe Moorhead.

From a betting perspective in Week 0, underdogs went 5-2 against the spread, and the under was hit in four of the seven matchups. Penn State and Temple open as double-digit betting favorites this weekend, but both teams struggled covering the spread last year in double-digit favorite situations.

Here’s a look at their betting lines for Saturday, along with several other betting lines for the best games from Week 1 of the season.

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Entering Year 2 of the Stan Drayton era, Temple looks to get off to a strong start, with E.J. Warner pacing the offense at quarterback and Layton Jordan wreaking havoc off the edge defensively. This game will be a nice primer before the Owls head up to New Jersey next weekend to face Rutgers in their first of two matchups with Power 5 opponents, as they play Miami later in September.

The last matchup between these two programs came in 2021, a 45-21 road win for Temple. Drayton and the Owls will look to slow down Akron’s offense, led by the presumptive starter, dual-threat quarterback D.J. Irons.

Although no formal announcement has been made, Penn State will likely start Drew Allar at quarterback after the departure of Sean Clifford. With high expectations, the Nittany Lions face a West Virginia program looking to bounce back after a 5-7 record last season.

Defensive back Kalen King, edge rusher Chop Robinson, both highly rated potential 2024 NFL prospects, along with Philly native and sophomore linebacker Abdul Carter should pace a talented Penn State defense.

The two programs met annually between 1960-92, and will face off for the first time in 31 years.

From a betting perspective, the total being this low for a 20.5-point spread is something worth monitoring. On paper, Penn State should dominate, but having a first-time starter at quarterback could mean the offense is out of sync early on.

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