The #1 ranked teams in the country is featured in NCAA online betting on Saturday night as Alabama hosts Penn State in a game that can be seen on ESPN. The Crimson Tide is double-digit favorites in college football betting to dispatch the Nittany Lions. Alabama will not be at full strength in this game as last year’s Heisman Trophy winner Mark Ingram is out. Also missing on Saturday will be star defensive end Marcell Dareus who is serving the second game of his two-game suspension.
First Meeting Since 1990 – The Crimson Tide and the Nittany Lions used to meet all the time but not anymore. This is the first meeting between the two teams since 1990. They met every year from 1981-1990 with Alabama winning six times.
Both Teams Rolled Last Week – Alabama crushed San Jose State 48-3 last week while Penn State dominated Youngstown State 44-14. The Crimson Tide didn’t miss a beat without Ingram as Trend Richardson had 66 yards and two touchdowns while only playing a half. The Nittany Lions started freshman quarterback Robert Bolden last week and he completed 20 of 29 passes for 239 yards with two touchdowns and an interception.
Penn State Rarely Beats Top Teams – The Nittany Lions are just 4-8 under Joe Paterno against team’s ranked number one. They have gotten progressively worse under Paterno as they haven’t beaten a top-ranked team since 1990. It is hard to like a Joe Paterno coached team on the road against an Alabama team coached by Nick Saban.
Alabama is an 11.5 point favorite at Sbgglobal with the total at 44.5. The betting trends are somewhat mixed on this contest. The Nittany Lions are 4-0 ATS in their last 4 road games but they are just 1-4 ATS in their last 5 non-conference games and they are 0-6 ATS in their last 6 games in September. The Crimson Tide is 7-1 ATS in their last 8 games in September. The Crimson Tide is 4-1 ATS in their last 5 home games.
Total Trends – The trends for the total in NCAA online betting are also somewhat mixed. The under is 5-0 in the Nittany Lions last 5 vs. the SEC. The Over is 6-1-1 in Alabama’s last 8 games in September. The Over is 3-1-1 in Alabama’s last 5 home games.