| Penn State Nittany Lions 2009 College Football Picks |
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| Written by Steve Hastings | |||||||
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Wednesday, 02 September 2009
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 Penn State Nittany Lions 2009 College Football Picks: Joe Paterno’s squad isn’t as experienced and talented as a year ago, but there is still enough explosive talent on both sides of the ball to make Penn State a contender in the Big 10. The college football picks experts at online sportsbook SBG Global has the Penn State Nittany Lions listed at +1500 odds to win the 2010 BCS National Championship Title.#8 Penn State University 2008 Season Record: 11-2 Big 10 Champions 2008 Final Rank: 8 Returning Starters on Offense: 5 Returning Starters on Defense: 4 Pros: Led by senior quarterback Daryll Clark (2,592 passing yards, 10 touchdowns, 6 interceptions) and junior running back Evan Royster (1,236 yards rushing, 12 touchdowns), the offense should be just as prolific in 2009 as they were last year when they averaged 38.9 points per contest. The strength of the defense will be the front seven, where they return both starting tackles and three veteran linebackers. Senior Sean Lee, a two-year starter before missing the 2008 season with a knee injury, returns to add depth to a solid unit. Cons: Just how deep the linebacker corps will be is dependent on the status of All-Big 10 pick Navorro Bowman, who violated terms of his probation in April and will likely face some team discipline. The top three receivers from a year ago are gone, but Brett bracket (13 catches, 160 yards) and Graham Zug (11 catches, 174 yards) have experience and should help fill the void. The offensive line will also be revamped as the graduation of three All-Conference starters necessitates a shuffling of the unit. The defensive secondary will be the least experienced unit on the team, as the entire projected starting lineup has only nine career starts. Surprise Stat: Penn State converted 52% of their third down attempts while holding opponents to only a 32% success rate. The college football picks odds makers at SBG Global have the Penn State Nittany Lions +130 odds favorites to win the Big 10 Conference Title. Overall Outlook: There is enough talent on both sides of the ball for Penn State to win most of their games. However, if they hope to repeat as Big 10 champions, the new starters on the offensive line and in the defensive secondary must produce. Freshman quarterback Kevin Newsome has already moved into the two-deep chart as the backup to Darryll Clark. The Nittany Lions also made important additions on the offensive line with Eric Shrive and in the defensive backfield with Darrell Givens and Derrick Thomas. Big Game: After winning on the road in Columbus last season, Penn State will look to earn back-to-back victories over Ohio State for the first time ever when the Buckeyes travel to Happy Valley on November 7th. It is likely that the winner of this contest will be punching a ticket to Pasadena for the Rose Bowl. Key to Success: Given that their second team quarterback is a true freshman and the others behind him are walk-ons, the most important and crucial thing for Penn State this season will be to ensure the ongoing health of quarterback Daryll Clark. Running back Stephfon Green is dangerous and he provides a big-play option out of the backfield as he had the longest run (69 yards) and pass reception (80 yards) for the Nittany Lions a year ago. Online Sportsbook SBG Global has posted the following odds to win the 2010 BCS National Championship: Alabama +2200 Arizona St +7000 Arkansas +7000 Auburn +9000 Boston College +7500 California +2200 Cincinnati +8500 Clemson +7500 Colorado +8500 Florida +150 Florida St +4000 Georgia +7500 Georgia Tech +1200 Illinois +4500 Iowa +8500 Kansas +4500 Kansas St +8500 Kentucky +8500 Louisville +8500 LSU +3200 Miami FL +3200 Michigan +8500 Michigan St +1700 Missouri +8500 Nebraska +4500 Notre Dame +1200 Ohio St +800 Oklahoma +650 Oklahoma St +2700 Oregon +4500 Penn St +1500 Rutgers +4500 South Carolina +8500 South Florida+5000 Southern Cal +600 TCU +2500 Tennessee +8500 Texas +650 Texas A&M +8500 Texas Tech +6500 UCLA +8500 Utah +1200 Virginia Tech +1700 Wake Forest +8500 North Carolina +4500 West Virginia +6000 Wisconsin +6500 Field (All Others) +1200                        |
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