Penn State at West Virginia Week 1 College Football Matchup Penn State at West Virginia Matchup - Week 1
Sat, Aug 31 2024 · Week 1 · 🏟 Mountaineer Field at Milan Puskar Stadium Morgantown, WV · Turf · 60,000 cap
Penn State✈ 136 miSame TZ
34 12
Final
📊 Punt & Rally Projection
Penn State
36
West Virginia
15
P&R Line Penn State -21
P&R Total O/U 51.5
Confidence 90 High
Vegas Penn State -7.5 · 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 -7.5
O/U 48.0
Bovada
Advanced Stats
All 4 factors agree → Penn State · 83.1% ATS historically when all four align
↓ See full breakdown
Penn State 2024 Schedule
Penn State's 2024 Schedule
DateMatchupSpreadTotalResultO/UCover
Sat 8/31Penn State at West Virginia-7.5W34–1248.0W34–12UY
Sat 9/7Penn State vs Bowling Green-35.5W34–2751.5W34–27ON
— Bye Week —
Sat 9/21Penn State vs Kent State-49.0W56–058.0W56–0UY
Sat 9/28Penn State vs Illinois-19.5W21–748.0W21–7UN
Sat 10/5Penn State vs UCLA-30.0W27–1148.0W27–11UN
Sat 10/12Penn State at USC-3.5W33–3051.5W33–30ON
— Bye Week —
Sat 10/26Penn State at Wisconsin-6.5W28–1347.0W28–13UY
Sat 11/2Penn State vs Ohio State+3.0L13–2047.5L13–20UN
Sat 11/9Penn State vs Washington-13.5W35–648.0W35–6UY
Sat 11/16Penn State at Purdue-30.0W49–1051.5W49–10OY
Sat 11/23Penn State at Minnesota-11.0W26–2545.0W26–25ON
Sat 11/30Penn State vs Maryland-26.5W44–750.5W44–7OY
Sat 12/7Penn State vs Oregon+3.5L37–4551.5L37–45ON
Sat 12/21Penn State vs SMU-9.0W38–1052.5W38–10UY
Tue 12/31Penn State vs Boise State-11.5W31–1454.5W31–14UY
Thu 1/9Penn State vs Notre Dame-1.5L24–2745.5L24–27ON
West Virginia 2024 Schedule
West Virginia's 2024 Schedule
DateMatchupSpreadTotalResultO/UCover
Sat 8/31West Virginia vs Penn State+7.5L12–3448.0L12–34UN
Sat 9/7West Virginia vs UAlbany-38.5W49–1453.5W49–14ON
Sat 9/14West Virginia at Pittsburgh-2.5L34–3860.5L34–38ON
Sat 9/21West Virginia vs Kansas-1.5W32–2856.0W32–28OY
— Bye Week —
Sat 10/5West Virginia at Oklahoma State+2.5W38–1465.0W38–14UY
Sat 10/12West Virginia vs Iowa State+3.0L16–2854.0L16–28UN
Sat 10/19West Virginia vs Kansas State+2.5L18–4556.5L18–45ON
Sat 10/26West Virginia at Arizona+5.5W31–2651.5W31–26OY
— Bye Week —
Sat 11/9West Virginia at Cincinnati+5.5W31–2454.5W31–24OY
Sat 11/16West Virginia vs Baylor+2.0L35–4960.0L35–49ON
Sat 11/23West Virginia vs UCF+3.0W31–2160.0W31–21UY
Sat 11/30West Virginia at Texas Tech+2.5L15–5261.5L15–52ON
Tue 12/17West Virginia vs Memphis+5.0L37–4260.0L37–42OY
Advanced Stats
Advanced Analytics Matchup
Matchup-adjusted (offense vs opponent defense) · 2024 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
Penn State #11
+0.615
West Virginia #63
+0.247
Penn State Edge
PPA Passing
Pass efficiency edge · Strong predictor
Penn State #11
+0.936
West Virginia #65
+0.366
Penn State Edge
Havoc Total
Def. disruption rate · Strong predictor
Penn State #38
0.181
West Virginia #119
0.130
TFLs, sacks, PBUs, forced fumbles — higher is better
Penn State Edge
Points Per Opp
Drive-finishing edge · Strong predictor
Penn State #9
+9.437
West Virginia #16
+7.814
Penn State Edge
Success Rate
Play consistency edge · Solid predictor
Penn State #4
+0.961
West Virginia #69
+0.804
Penn State Edge
Field Position
Avg start (lower=better) · Solid predictor
Penn State #73
71.1
West Virginia #87
71.6
Avg yards from own endzone to average start — lower is better · longer bar = better field position
Penn State Edge
Advanced stats sourced from CFBD · 2024 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
Penn State
8.8
West Virginia
1.3
Offense Rating
Penn State
19.0
West Virginia
17.8
Defense Rating (lower = better defense)
Penn State
10.2
West Virginia
16.5
Power ratings updated throughout the season as results accumulate
Momentum Control (CSS)
Consecutive Scoring Sequences Who builds scoring momentum? Penn State Edge
Avg sequences created per game
Penn State #20
0.00
West Virginia #56
0.00
Avg sequences allowed per game (lower is better)
Penn State #5
0.00
West Virginia #105
0.00
Penn State +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? Penn State Edge
Avg GC score per game (offense)
Penn State #1
0.0
West Virginia #1
0.0
Avg GC score allowed per game (lower is better)
Penn State #14
0.0
West Virginia #85
0.0
Penn State +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
1 — 2 sequences
✗ Predicted incorrectly
GC Battle
Penn State
8.4 — 79.4 GC score
✗ Predicted incorrectly
Game Result
Penn State won by 22
Spread Context
ATS Historical Context
Based on 2021–2025 backtest · FBS vs FBS · Regular season

Both metrics agree on West Virginia, 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
Penn State
James Franklin #1
88–39 (69%) · Yr 11 at school
OC Andy Kotelnicki Yr 1 #1
DC Tom Allen Yr 1 #1
Staff Rating
0.00 #1
West Virginia
Neal Brown #1
31–29 (52%) · Yr 6 at school
OC Chad Scott Yr 2 #1
DC ShaDon Brown Yr 3 #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