West Virginia at Penn State Week 1 College Football Matchup West Virginia at Penn State Matchup - Week 1
Sat, Sep 2 2023 · Week 1 · 🏟 Beaver Stadium University Park, PA · Turf · 106,572 cap
West Virginia✈ 136 miSame TZ
15 38
Final
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📊 Punt & Rally Projection
West Virginia
15
PSU -21
Penn State
36
P&R Line Penn State -21.5
P&R Total O/U 51
Confidence 90 High
Vegas Penn State -21 · O/U 48.0
Matchup Prediction
Toss-up — no clear edge
Neither metric shows a meaningful pre-game edge in this matchup.
Momentum Control
58.4%
Lean
Game Control
50.6%
Toss-up
Vegas Spread
Penn State -21
O/U 48.0
Caesars Sportsbook (Colorado)
Advanced Stats
All 4 factors agree → Penn State · 83.1% ATS historically when all four align
↓ See full breakdown
West Virginia 2023 Schedule
West Virginia's 2023 Schedule
DateMatchupSpreadTotalResultO/UCover
Sat 9/2West Virginia at Penn State+21.0L15–3848.0L15–38ON
Sat 9/9West Virginia vs Duquesne-38.5W56–1755.5W56–17OY
Sat 9/16West Virginia vs Pittsburgh-2.5W17–648.0W17–6UY
Sat 9/23West Virginia vs Texas Tech+6.0W20–1353.5W20–13UY
Sat 9/30West Virginia at TCU+14.0W24–2152.0W24–21UY
— Bye Week —
Thu 10/12West Virginia at Houston-3.0L39–4149.5L39–41ON
Sat 10/21West Virginia vs Oklahoma State-3.0L34–4848.0L34–48ON
Sat 10/28West Virginia at UCF+6.5W41–2859.5W41–28OY
Sat 11/4West Virginia vs BYU-13.0W37–748.5W37–7UY
Sat 11/11West Virginia at Oklahoma+13.5L20–5959.5L20–59ON
Sat 11/18West Virginia vs Cincinnati-4.5W42–2152.5W42–21OY
Sat 11/25West Virginia at Baylor-6.5W34–3153.5W34–31ON
Wed 12/27West Virginia vs North Carolina-4.5W30–1062.0W30–10UY
Penn State 2023 Schedule
Penn State's 2023 Schedule
DateMatchupSpreadTotalResultO/UCover
Sat 9/2Penn State vs West Virginia-21.0W38–1548.0W38–15OY
Sat 9/9Penn State vs Delaware-44.0W63–755.0W63–7OY
Sat 9/16Penn State at Illinois-14.0W30–1347.5W30–13UY
Sat 9/23Penn State vs Iowa-14.0W31–038.5W31–0UY
Sat 9/30Penn State at Northwestern-27.0W41–1348.0W41–13OY
— Bye Week —
Sat 10/14Penn State vs Massachusetts-42.0W63–055.0W63–0OY
Sat 10/21Penn State at Ohio State+4.0L12–2047.0L12–20UN
Sat 10/28Penn State vs Indiana-31.0W33–2445.0W33–24ON
Sat 11/4Penn State at Maryland-8.5W51–1550.5W51–15OY
Sat 11/11Penn State vs Michigan+4.0L15–2444.5L15–24UN
Sat 11/18Penn State vs Rutgers-19.5W27–639.5W27–6UY
Fri 11/24Penn State vs Michigan State-20.0W42–042.0W42–0UY
Sat 12/30Penn State vs Ole Miss-5.5L25–3853.0L25–38ON
Advanced Stats
Advanced Analytics Matchup
Matchup-adjusted (offense vs opponent defense) · 2023 season
Penn State PPA Edge
Agreement Signals — When All Metrics Agree
Elite · 83.1% ATS
PPA + PPO + SR + Havoc
All 4 Agree
→ Penn State
Elite · 82.4% ATS
PPA + PPO + Havoc
3 Agree
→ Penn State
Elite · 73.9% ATS
PPA + Success Rate
Both Agree
→ Penn State
Individual Factors — Ranked by Predictive Strength
PPA Overall
Points added per play · Elite predictor
West Virginia #35
+0.318
Penn State #40
+0.439
Penn State Edge
PPA Passing
Pass efficiency edge · Strong predictor
West Virginia #55
+0.517
Penn State #62
+0.559
Penn State Edge
Havoc Total
Def. disruption rate · Strong predictor
West Virginia #18
0.188
Penn State #2
0.232
TFLs, sacks, PBUs, forced fumbles — higher is better
Penn State Edge
Points Per Opp
Drive-finishing edge · Strong predictor
West Virginia #54
+7.127
Penn State #5
+9.126
Penn State Edge
Success Rate
Play consistency edge · Solid predictor
West Virginia #37
+0.782
Penn State #25
+0.878
Penn State Edge
Field Position
Avg start (lower=better) · Solid predictor
West Virginia #18
68.8
Penn State #4
66.2
Avg yards from own endzone to average start — lower is better · longer bar = better field position
Penn State Edge
Advanced stats sourced from CFBD · 2023 season · Edges are matchup-adjusted (offense vs opponent defense)
Power Ratings
Team Power Ratings
Overall · Offense · Defense ratings · Updated as season progresses
Penn State Rated Higher
Overall Power Rating
West Virginia
1.2
Penn State
8.8
Offense Rating
West Virginia
17.8
Penn State
19.0
Defense Rating (lower = better defense)
West Virginia
16.6
Penn State
10.2
Power ratings updated throughout the season as results accumulate
Momentum Control (CSS)
Consecutive Scoring Sequences Who builds scoring momentum? West Virginia Edge
Avg sequences created per game
West Virginia #41
0.00
Penn State #29
0.00
Avg sequences allowed per game (lower is better)
West Virginia #65
0.00
Penn State #22
0.00
West Virginia +0.00
CSS Edge (season-to-date)
Teams with this edge win 58.4% of games historically
Based on 0 games this season
Game Control (GC)
Win Probability Dominance Who controls games start to finish? West Virginia Edge
Avg GC score per game (offense)
West Virginia #1
0.0
Penn State #1
0.0
Avg GC score allowed per game (lower is better)
West Virginia #37
0.0
Penn State #16
0.0
West Virginia +0.0
GC Edge (season-to-date)
Teams with this edge win 50.6% of games historically
Based on 0 games this season
Actual Result
CSS Battle
Penn State
2 — 0 sequences
✗ Predicted incorrectly
GC Battle
Penn State
94.9 — 2.3 GC score
✗ Predicted incorrectly
Game Result
Penn State won by 23
Spread Context
ATS Historical Context
Based on 2021–2025 backtest · FBS vs FBS · Regular season

Both metrics agree on Penn State, but the GC edge is small. When metrics agree but GC is near-neutral, the agreed-upon team has covered only 46.7% of the time historically (n=224) — potentially a fade signal.

ATS data is informational only. Past cover rates do not guarantee future results.

Coaching Matchup
West Virginia
Neal Brown #1
24–26 (48%) · Yr 5 at school
OC Chad Scott Yr 1 #1
DC ShaDon Brown Yr 3 #1
Staff Rating
0.00 #1
Penn State
James Franklin #1
81–36 (69%) · Yr 10 at school
OC Mike Yurcich Yr 3 #1
DC Manny Diaz Yr 2 #1
Staff Rating
0.00 #1
About these metrics
Advanced Stats shows matchup-adjusted factor edges (offense vs opponent defense). Combination signals — when PPA, PPO, Success Rate, and Havoc all point the same direction — have historically predicted the SU winner in 95–97% of games and the ATS winner in 82–83% of games (2021–2025, FBS vs FBS, regular season).
Impact: Advanced Stats are the best performance based metric used to predict the outcome of games.

Momentum Control (CSS) measures consecutive scoring sequences — when a team scores, holds the opponent scoreless, then scores again. Teams entering a game with a CSS edge of +1.0 or more have won 71–78% of games historically (2021–2025, FBS vs FBS).
Impact: Momentum Control is a great measure for predicting game outcome but NOT an ATS advantage, data shows this is already considered when lines are set.

Game Control (GC) measures win probability dominance — how thoroughly a team controlled the game from start to finish. Teams with a GC edge of +12 or more have won 67–76% of games historically. When both metrics agree, combined confidence is higher. When they split, treat as a lean at best.
Impact: Game Control is another great measure for predicting game outcome but NOT an ATS advantage, data shows this is already considered when lines are set.

Power Ratings are a custom-built composite of a Teams Talent, Experience & Production, Coaching & Performance Metrics. These are updated constantly with roster changes, performance once the games start for the 2026 season, injuries the team is dealing with and scheduling situations.
Impact: There are a wide range of power ratings available, we think ours is the best, you can decide for yourself