Does Penn State Have Enough In The Tank To Knock Off Ole Miss?
The Peach Bowl Betting Odds Continue To Trend Toward Penn State
The Peach Bowl kicks off this upcoming December, 30th. We’ve got the latest updates on lines, injuries, departures and weather right here:
On Saturday, the Ole Miss Rebels will take on the Penn State Nittany Lions in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl.
This is one of the few big bowl games with both starting quarterbacks under center.
Ole Miss lost seven players to the transfer portal. However, none of those players were very significant to Ole Miss, especially toward the end of the year.
The only opt-out for Ole Miss was edge rusher Cedric Johnson. He’ll be missed, but the other ten starters on defense will be out there.
On the other hand, the Nittany Lions will have multiple offensive and defensive coordinators for this one. During the season, Penn State hired a new offensive coordinator, poaching Andy Kotelnicki from Kansas.
Meanwhile, Penn State also watched Manny Diaz take the head coaching job at Duke. He was the defensive coordinator and won’t be coaching Penn State in this game.
Therefore, Penn State will have multiple offensive and defensive coordinators in this game.
The Nittany Lions also watched two defensive players opt out to prepare for the 2024 NFL Draft but rarely lost anyone significant to the transfer portal.
Many of Penn State’s draft-eligible players will still play in this game, including OT Olumuyiwa Fashanu. But don’t be surprised if he doesn’t play much (or doesn’t play at all.)
That said, the line movement for this game hasn’t been very drastic. Penn State was a 3.5-point favorite when this game opened up. Now they’re sitting at -5, despite Diaz’s departure. Editor’s Note: (Total is fluctuating and back to 49)
The total also opened at 48.5. And while it jumped to 49.5 a few weeks ago, it’s back at 48.5 as we inch closer to kick-off.
The 2023 Peach Bowl doesn’t have any major NCAAF injuries to report. Therefore, we’d consider backing the NCAAF line of Ole Miss at +4.5 and like Ole Miss at +164 on the moneyline for our picks and parlays. The Under 48.5 is also very appealing, given Penn State’s inability to score points against top-tier opponents.
Now, check out the rest of the Peach Bowl preview, originally published on December 8.
The Chik-fil-A Peach Bowl will feature two 10-2 squads from the top two conferences in college football.
The Ole Miss Rebels will take on the Penn State Nittany Lions in the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia.
While Lane Kiffin and Ole Miss don’t expect many opt-outs, Penn State will likely have more.
Kiffin explained that he isn’t aware of any opt-outs at this point. He believes that’s because few first-rounders are coming out of Ole Miss this year.
Earlier in the year, Penn State fired its offensive coordinator and settled on Kansas‘ offensive coordinator, Andy Kotelnicki. This will be his first opportunity to watch this team in person.
Meanwhile, defensive coordinator Manny Diaz is taking the Duke head coaching position. Therefore, he won’t be on the sideline for the Nittany Lions for this game.
Penn State opened as a 2.5-point favorite. Still, the Nittany Lions got as high as -5.5 before being bet back down to -3.5. Meanwhile, the total went from 47.5 at open, to 49.5, where it currently sits.
Ole Miss is known for having a terrific offense, while Penn State’s defense was the main contributor of its success this season.
Take a look at the Peach Bowl betting odds as we break down the early December 30 matchup on Saturday.
Peach Bowl Information
Ole Miss Rebels vs Penn State Nittany Lions 
Day/Time:
Location: Mercedes-Benz Stadium
Stream: ESPN
Lane Kiffin’s First Four Years At Ole Miss Were A Success
It doesn’t end well for most coaches in this business.
However, Lane Kiffin was hired by Ole Miss four years ago. During that time, the Rebels have thrived under Kiffin.
Ole Miss won ten college football games and has the potential to win game No. 11 in the Peach Bowl.
When Kiffin agreed to be head coach for the Rebels, Ole Miss was off NCAA probation. The NCAA also didn’t like Elijah Moore’s unsportsmanlike conduct penalty in the Egg Bowl against Mississippi State.
From 2016 to 2019, the Rebels went 20 to 28 and didn’t even reach a bowl game. Kiffin took over at the height of the pandemic. He embraced the NIL and transfer portal developments and acted like a top team in the country.
Four years later, Ole Miss is. The Rebels are 11th in the nation and can finish as a top-ten team with a win against Penn State to finish out the season.
Ole Miss Departures & Injuries
Ole Miss’s co-offensive coordinator, John David Baker, took a position with East Carolina as their offensive coordinator. But Kiffin still expects Baker to coach in the Peach Bowl.
Meanwhile, the Rebels will be without WR Zakhari Franklin and WR Qua Davis, who are both out with undisclosed injuries.
Penn State’s DC Manny Diaz Went To Duke
Penn State will have some new faces on the sideline next season.
Earlier this season, Penn State fired offensive coordinator, Mike Yurcich, after the Nittany Lions lost to Michigan with another poor offensive performance. A couple of weeks later, Penn State hired Andy Kotelnicki for the same position after he helped elevate Kansas’ offense.
But Penn State is about to experience more movement.
Penn State has lost defensive coordinator, Manny Diaz, to Duke. He’ll be the next head coach of the Duke Blue Devils, as he’ll take over for Mike Elko, who just went to Texas A&M. Diaz is a former ACC head coach after a stint with Miami.
The Nittany Lions likely won’t have their defensive coordinator on the sideline for the Peach Bowl. That could affect this game, at least to some degree.
Penn State Departures & Injuries
Penn State defensive lineman Chop Robinson has opted out of the bowl game for Penn State. Hilariously, Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin reposted Robinson’s farewell to Penn State and thanked him for not playing in the game.
We’ll discuss how this impacts the 2023 Peach Bowl betting odds below.
Penn State’s Defense vs Ole Miss’ Offense
The Ole Miss Rebels might not have any first-round picks this season. But the Rebels are still loaded with talent.
They’ll start Jaxon Dart at quarterback, who has nearly 3,000 yards passing with 20 touchdowns and five interceptions this season. His QBR of 76.7 was the 20th best in college football.
Next to him in the backfield is Quinshon Judkins, who earned back-to-back regular seasons with over 1,000 yards. He rushed for just 4.4 yards a carry but still added 1,052 yards on 237 attempts with 15 touchdowns.
The loss of Chop Robinson will hurt Penn State. Being without Manny Diaz won’t help, either. However, Penn State. However, Penn State only allowed 125.25 yards in the air and 68.33 yards on the ground per game this season.
With Diaz, the Nittany Lions were one of the best defenses in the FBS, holding NCAAF teams to 11.42 points per game.
However, Ole Miss scored 34.83 points per game. That will be a fun battle between the two sides.
The bigger question is if the Ole Miss defense can get stops against Penn State. The Nittany Lions put Drew Allar in a position to succeed. But sometimes, they got too conservative. Penn State wants to play complementary football.
Therefore, Allar only threw one interception throughout the entire season. His 23 touchdowns and one interception are one of the best ratios in college football. But he struggled against top talent. Ole Miss is more known for its offense, but they’re also loaded with talent on defense. After all, the Rebels allowed only 22.33 points per game in a tough SEC.
The Peach Bowl score could go either way. However, Penn State will likely stay conservative as it was all season long on the offensive end.
The winner of this game will finish in the top ten in the college football standings. It has a lot of meaning. While Ole Miss doesn’t have many opt-outs, oddsmakers still believe Penn State has the edge when looking at the college football odds. We’re unsure about Penn State when looking at the 2023 Peach Bowl betting odds.
For NCAA bowl, betting odds, analysis, and more, visit Point Spreads Sports Magazine.
