Staff Predictions: Penn State vs. Villanova

Penn State has passed every test of its 2021 season, most recently pushing through a challenging Auburn program Saturday night in front of a White Out crowd at Beaver Stadium.

The 28-20 decision propels the Nittany Lions into what should be a little lighter fare this weekend when they play host to Villanova at Beaver Stadium. With the Wildcats at 3-0 themselves and ranked among the nation's best in the FCS, can Penn State continue its progress and round out its nonconference schedule with another win?

Our staff gives its predictions below.

Don’t rule out the possibility of Villanova giving Penn State a game for the first quarter or two of this one on Saturday. After that, the anticipated beautiful Saturday afternoon at Beaver Stadium for fans looking to enjoy the day should become the primary attraction.

The Wildcats have scored points in bunches this season and, for a Nittany Lion team coming off another emotionally draining game last weekend, kicking into gear might be more laborious than normal. However, these are the games where talent and depth become glaring contrasts, and I very much expect that to be the case.

Penn State 48

Villanova 14

Penn State won’t overlook Villanova, but that won’t stop some from overthinking this FCS vs. FBS matchup and wondering if the Wildcats might sneak up on the Nittany Lions. This space will refuse to do that, however. Another feel-good win that allows starters to rest and backups to play valuable snaps is on deck to close out the nonconference schedule.

Penn State 50

Villanova 10

Villanova is certainly a program to respect. It enters this game 3-0 and ranked 11th among FCS teams. It’s always hard to quantify how that will manifest itself in a game against Penn State because there is no real common link that we can use as a measuring stick. I’m not expecting a 79-7 drubbing like the one the Nittany Lions handed Idaho the last time they welcomed an FCS team to Beaver Stadium; I think Villanova is too good for that. But I do think this will be a comfortable enough win for the Nittany Lions that we’ll see the backups at some point.

Penn State 49

Villanova 10

Jacksonville State beat Florida State. Northern Arizona beat Arizona. Montana beat nationally ranked Washington. Those results from earlier this month should prove helpful to James Franklin as he looks to ensure that his players don’t take anything for granted heading into this weekend’s matchup against a Football Championship Subdivision opponent. But while Franklin has every reason to play up the threat that Villanova poses – the Wildcats are unbeaten and ranked either seventh or 11th depending on which FCS poll you prefer – it’s difficult to imagine a scenario in which the Nittany Lions fail to take care of business. They’ve just got too many playmakers on both sides of the ball for Villanova to keep pace for four quarters.

Penn State 45

Villanova 13

I’m not going to rattle off all the FCS upsets over FBS schools like Franklin did on Tuesday. The one common theme uniting all those FBS schools is that they’re not very good. Most were Group of Five programs, while Florida State and Washington are on course for coaching changes at the end of the year. For the record, if I were in Franklin's shoes, I would take the same approach in a press conference, so I'm not knocking that.

Penn State playing a bit sloppy at times wouldn’t surprise me. The Nittany Lions are coming off a really fun game with Auburn last week and now have another prime-time opportunity next week in a revenge spot against Indiana. That makes this a classic lookahead game. However, they’re also playing a Villanova team that simply doesn’t have the talent to stick with a Nittany Lion squad that appears to be a genuine Big Ten title contender through the first few weeks of the season.

The Wildcats will be a pretty good team in 2021. They currently rank among the top schools at that level, but they won’t pull an upset Saturday. This should be a good opportunity to get some backup players quality reps, which is why I think we could see this game go Over 54. Roberson and the backups on offense should be motivated when they get a chance, while Penn State's younger defenders could allow some points late.

Penn State 48

Villanova 14

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