Penn State vs. Auburn picks and best bets for Week 3

A marquee Big Ten vs. SEC showdown will take place on the Plains on Saturday as the No. 22 Penn State Nittany Lions heads south to face the Auburn Tigers at 3:30 p.m. ET. The game will take place at Jordan-Hare Stadium in Auburn, AL, and will air on CBS.

Penn State (2-0) easily handled its tune up MAC opponent last Saturday, clobbering Ohio for a 46-10 victory. Senior quarterback Sean Clifford went 19-27 through the air for 213 yards and a touchdown while running Nicholas Singleton broke off 10 carries for 179 yards and two touchdowns on the ground.

Auburn (2-0) didn’t look that impressive last week as it slipped by San Jose State for a 24-16 victory. The Tigers trailed the Spartans 10-7 at halftime but took control by scoring on its first three drives in the second half. Tank Bigsby, Jarquez Hunter, and T.J. Finley each had a rushing touchdown in the contest.

Here’s all the data you’ll want, and a pick for the game!

SP+ Rankings

Penn State: 14th overall, 41st offense, 6th defense
Auburn: 30th overall, 42nd offense, 19th defense

Injury update

Penn State

TE Theo Johnson - Questionable (Undisclosed)
TE Jerry Cross - Questionable (Undisclosed)

Auburn

No injuries to report.

ATS/Total

Against The Spread

Penn State: 2-0 ATS
Auburn: 0-2 ATS

Total

Penn State: Over 2-0
Auburn: Over 1-1

Returning/Overall Talent from 247Sports

Penn State: 67th overall, 56th offense, 102nd defense
Auburn: 63rd overall, 66th offense, 116th defense

Current lines at DraftKings Sportsbook

Spread: Penn State -2.5
Total: 48
Moneyline: Penn State -135, Auburn +115

Opening line: Penn State -3
Opening total: 49

Weather

85 degrees, sunny, 8 MPH winds E

The Pick

Under 48

This is a game where you have a pair of top 20 defense going up against quarterbacks who have been inconsistent against elite competition. This is a situation where both James Franklin and Bryan Harsin will get reductive at times and rely on their respective run games to try to control the clock. Take the under at Jordan-Hare on Saturday.

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