Oregon Ducks vs Penn State Nittany Lions Matchup

Check out our free Penn State Nittany Lions vs Oregon Ducks pick and preview for this CFB week 15 game in Indianapolis. See who we like to win and cover the spread in this week 15 CFB matchup.

With a 12-0 record, the Oregon Ducks are the slight -3.5 point favorites over the Penn State Nittany Lions in this week 15 matchup. The game is set for 8:00 ET on Saturday, December 7th, at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, with CBS handling the broadcast. The over/under line is currently at 49.5 points. Penn State comes in with an 11-1 record for the season.

Nittany Lions vs. Ducks Matchup At A Glance

Sport: CFB
Teams: Penn State Nittany Lions at Oregon Ducks
Where: Indianapolis at Lucas Oil Stadium
Date: Saturday, December 7th
Betting Odds ORE -3.5, PENNST +148 | ORE -179 O/U 49.5

Nittany Lions Preview:

Penn State heads into Week 15 with an 11-1 record, ranked 9th in our power rankings. They have a 100% chance of being bowl-eligible and a 54% chance of winning the Big Ten. The Nittany Lions also have a 99.7% chance of making the CFB playoff, the second-highest odds in the nation.

They’ve been favored in 10 of their 12 games this season, going 10-0 as the favorite. Their average scoring margin is +19.3 points per game, and they are 6-5 against the spread, with a 3-1 record on the road and 3-4 at home.

Penn State’s over/under record this season is 4-7, with their games averaging 47.3 points. They’ve been within 2.3 points of the over/under line on average, and seven of their games have had higher totals than this week’s line of 49.5 points.

Nittany Lions Offense Breakdown

Heading into week 15, Penn State’s offense is averaging 33.3 points per game, placing them 27th in the nation. However, they are ranked 9th in our offensive power rankings. Their rushing game averages 195.8 yards per game on 37.8 attempts.

Drew Allar has thrown for 2,668 yards, leading the passing attack with a passer rating of 114. Penn State ranks 6th nationally in passer rating and 4th in completion percentage, completing 71.7% of their passes. Allar has 18 touchdowns and five interceptions this season. Nicholas Singleton leads the ground game with 733 rushing yards, averaging 6 yards per carry and scoring seven touchdowns.

Nittany Lions Team Defense

Penn State's defense has been impressive this season, ranking 6th nationally by allowing just 14 points per game. They’ve been particularly strong against the run, giving up only 99.5 rushing yards per game, which ranks 12th in the country. Opposing quarterbacks have managed a passer rating of just 72.4 and are averaging 169.8 passing yards per game against Penn State, the 13th-lowest figure in the nation.

In their latest game, a 44-7 win over Maryland, Penn State’s defense allowed just 7 points and 194 total yards. Maryland rushed 31 times but gained only 72 yards, while Penn State’s secondary gave up 122 passing yards and recorded three interceptions.

Ducks Preview:

Ducks Offense Breakdown

Oregon’s offense ranks 18th in points per game, averaging 35.2, but they are 3rd in our offensive power rankings heading into week 15. Dillon Gabriel has thrown for 3,275 yards, leading the passing game, and Oregon ranks 14th nationally in passing yards per game. They are 15th in completions, with 23.7 per game, and 42nd in passing attempts.

Oregon leads the nation in completion percentage at 74%, and Gabriel has completed 73.5% of his passes, throwing 24 touchdowns with six interceptions. His passer rating is 114. On third downs, Oregon converts 49.3% of the time, ranking 8th. Jordan James has rushed for 1,166 yards and 13 touchdowns.

Ducks Team Defense

Oregon's defense has been strong this season, ranking 8th nationally by allowing just 16.2 points per game. They also rank 15th in passing yards allowed, giving up only 171.5 yards per game, with quarterbacks posting a passer rating of 69.9 against them, the 16th-lowest in the country.

In their recent game against Washington, Oregon's defense gave up 21 points but allowed just 43 rushing yards on 37 attempts. Washington managed 201 passing yards, completing 17 of 20 passes.

Nittany Lions vs Ducks Betting Odds, Trends & Analysis

When looking at their past ten road matchups, Penn State has an ATS record of 7-3 while averaging 34 per game. The team went 9-1 overall in these games.
In their last three home games, Oregon has averaged 29 points per game while allowing 10. The team's record in this stretch was 3-0 while going 2-1 vs. the spread.
As the betting underdog, the Penn State Nittany Lions have an ATS mark of just 1-4 in their last five games. Penn State posted a straight up mark of 0-5 in these matchups.
Spanning across their last ten games as the betting favorite, the Oregon Ducks have gone 5-5 vs the spread. Their overall record in these games was 10-0.