Penn State Nittany Lions vs Iowa Hawkeyes Prediction, Odds and Picks for Today, 10/18/25

Penn State has been the grandest disappointment of this season. The Nittany Lions in a span of 3 weeks went from a top-5 outfit to out of the rankings with their head coach James Franklin fired. Who would want to get on board here? Especially considering that PSU is 0-6 against the spread for the season. But that’s where the opportunity lies.

In the summer, this line had PSU posted as a -10.5 favorite. Last Sunday the Nittany Lions were still favorites on the road but very quickly Iowa money came in to where we see the present price now. One hears a lot about value betting, this is the prototypical spot that demonstrates it. You get a team that was a double-digit favorite now at plus money, that makes the play worth looking at in itself. Yes, Drew Allar is done for the season and Franklin is gone, but the rest of the roster remains and the interim coach is a man who bleeds blue and white: Terry Smith.

This is a seminal circle-the-wagons moment for Penn State and a chance for it to reset. The Nittany Lions will approach this game with nothing to lose and that makes them dangerous here considering this is a club still loaded with talent that we reiterate was ranked #2 in some pre-season polls. Pass on the points; let’s take the Nittany Lions outright.

Penn State vs Iowa prediction: Penn State ML (+125) available at time of publishing. Playable at that number.

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