No. 2 Penn State football is ready to take on the Villanova Wildcats with kickoff slated for 3:30 p.m. ET at State College. The Week 3 match will be the Nittany Lions' final non-conference game of the 2025 season before next week's bye. The Wildcats are coming off their first win in Week 2, beating Colgate 24-17, and are looking to reclaim a win over Penn State in the teams' series history. With an FCS opponent coming into Beaver Stadium, though, the stage is set for the Nittany Lion offense, defense, and special teams to explode, dominant, and easily come out with a win.
Line: Penn State -48.5
Money Line: N/A
Over/Under: 55.5
Here are our staff's predictions for how Saturday's Nittany Lions v. Wildcats contest plays out:
Josh Yourish:
Penn State submitted a sloppy performance in Week 2 against FIU, but that’s the advantage of a soft non-conference schedule to start a long season. James Franklin’s team has the buffer to work out any kinks early on, and that continues against FCS Villanova in Week 3 before heading into a bye week.
After last Saturday’s slow-start Franklin, and especially offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki, will want to see their senior quarterback look crisp early. I expect Penn State to score early and with a bye week looming before hosting Oregon in Week 5, this could be Franklin’s last chance to see his young players in the second half, so he might let them keep the offense open and push the ball downfield. I’ll take Penn State to cover an outrageously large spread.
Penn State 59, Villanova 3
See Josh Yourish’s full betting record HERE.
Myles Hannak:
Penn State is set for its last non-conference game to start the season before the Nittany Lions face their first real test of the year, and the trend of easy wins looks to continue. The blue and white scored an impressive 80 points over the last two weeks, holding opponents to 11.
Villanova arrives as a lower tiered opponent to those Penn State easily conquered. Its game against Colgate left much to be desired, where the outcome was decided by a touchdown. Even with a WR core of Luke Colella and Lucas Kopecky, the Wildcats' passing game won't put up much of a challenge against the Nittany Lions' secondary.
Despite all indications pointing to a Penn State victory, it’ll need to gain some offensive consistency before Oregon enters State College for Week 5 in a must-win game for the Nittany Lions. Leading the charge in turning around the offense is QB Drew Allar, whose play was inconsistent throughout the first two weeks. His ceiling yet to be reached, and Villanova is an opportunity for the captain to find footing and put up a dominant performance.
Penn State 45, Villanova 10
Sydney Ciano:
Penn State wraps up its non-conference play with its weakest opponent. The FCS Villanova team is heading to Beaver Stadium to face the country's No. 2 ranked Nittany Lions. The Wildcats beat Colgate in their first game of the season, but beating a fellow FCS team by one score is a recipe for disappointment entering their second match of the season.
After a sluggish offensive performance from Penn State against Florida International, Week 3 is a stage for quarterback Drew Allar to put up a stunning performance, bounce get, and get back in rhythm. Whether it's connecting with his wide receiver core with nothing but sunshine in the skies or handing the ball off running back Nicholas Singleton to re-spark his game on the ground, the Nittany Lions should show up awake and ready to dominant. An offensive groove needs to be reinstated before heading into a bye week next and Big Ten play thereon out. As for the defense, expect another consistent performance.
Penn State 56, Villanova 6