Fiesta Bowl Spread: 2017 College Football Bowl Odds, Prediction

Jeremy Perry | Updated Dec 23, 2017

Trace McSorley saquon barkley

The Nittany Lions have the better quarterback, Trace McSorley, and an even better running back than the excellent Myles Gaskin: Saquon Barkley, a possible top-five pick in next year’s NFL Draft.

Washington
10-2
AT
December 30, 2017, 4:00 PM ET
State Farm Stadium
Penn State
10-2
Pointspread +3 +100
Moneyline +140
Over / Under o +55

28%

Betting Action

72%

Pointspread -3 -120
Moneyline -165
Over / Under u +55

28%

Betting Action

72%

The Washington Huskies complained about not getting fair shake in the national spotlight all season long. In their only real opportunity – on the road at Stanford – they fell short. Now they get another shot to prove that they were overlooked when they face a quality Penn State team in the Fiesta Bowl.

Huskies vs. Nittany Lions Spread and Betting Analysis

Penn State opened up as a 2.5-point favorite and that’s where they sit now, but the line did dip as low as -1. Bettors seem to like the Nittany Lions. According to the Sports Interaction betting trends, 82% of the action is on Penn State. The Nittany Lions were 10-1 straight up and 7-4 ATS as a favorite. Washington wasn’t a dog all season but is 1-4 SU and 2-3 ATS in their last five in that role.

Washington Huskies

The Penn State passing game versus the Huskies secondary is one of the key storylines going into this game. The Huskies had a very strong defense this year, but their secondary got heavily injured in November – especially before their big game against Stanford. Washington was not able to stop Stanford’s mediocre passing offense and that cost them. The health of Washington’s secondary could very well be the biggest factor in this game. If the secondary is able to play at a high level, it can contain Penn State receiver DaeSean Hamilton and tight end Mike Gesicki, who are both so good at winning balls in traffic. If it can’t play well, Penn State will be able to throw all day on the Huskies’ back line of defense.

On other side of the ball, Washington is shorthanded at receiver where Chico McClatcher’s absence constrained what the passing game was able to do this year. The Huskies need to run with Myles Gaskin in order to set up the pass. They averaged 189.8 rushing yards per game this season but totaled just 225 in their two losses.

Penn State Nittany Lions

Saquon Barkley is so good at catching passes out of the backfield. That’s why it’s not surprising to see that this team finished seventh in the country in points per game (41.6). That will be hard for Washington to deal with. On the other hand, Penn State might be limited by the fact that former offensive coordinator Joe Moorhead took the head coaching job at Mississippi State. The Nittany Lions lost a very creative play caller who revived the offense early in 2016 and transformed the fortunes of the program.

The Huskies are known as a team that thrived on defense this season but that’s not fully accurate. They allowed 14.5 points per game (sixth in the nation) but they had a cupcake schedule. They still allowed opposing quarterbacks to complete 63.8% of their passes (113th in the nation). This is the best quarterback and best offense they’ve faced all year. They’ll have to do better than that

Fiesta Bowl Prediction

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