Wisconsin vs. Penn State lines, odds: Advanced computer model makes spread pick for Saturday's Big Ten matchup

Two Top 25 teams in the Big Ten collide when the No. 12 Wisconsin Badgers and No. 19 Penn State Nittany Lions open the 2021 season on Saturday at Camp Randall Stadium in Madison, Wisc. Kickoff is noon ET. The Badgers are 5.5-point favorites in the latest Wisconsin vs. Penn State odds from Caesars Sportsbook, while the Over-Under for total points scored is 49.5. (See the latest college football lines for all of this week's games on our college football odds page.)

Before you make any Penn State vs. Wisconsin picks and college football predictions, see what the SportsLine Projection Model has to say.

The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every FBS game 10,000 times. Over the past five-plus years, the proprietary computer model has generated a stunning profit of more than $3,600 for $100 players on its top-rated college football picks against the spread. It also enters Week 1 of the 2021 season on a 57-37 run on all top-rated college football picks. Anyone who has followed it has seen huge returns.

The Badgers are coming off a 4-3 season in 2020 in which they finished third in the West Division and beat Wake Forest in the Duke's Mayo Bowl. They are in their seventh season under coach Paul Chryst, who is 56-19 (.747) in Madison. On offense sophomore quarterback Graham Mertz is coming off a freshman season in which he completed 61.1 percent of his passes for 1,238 yards, nine touchdowns and five interceptions in seven games. 

Meanwhile the Nittany Lions enter 2021 after a 4-5 year and a third-place finish in the East last season. They ended the year on a four-game winning streak, averaging 36.3 points per game in those four contests. Nine starters from that offense.

Now the model has simulated Wisconsin vs. Penn State 10,000 times, and the results are in. We can tell you that the model is projecting Under 49 total points, and it has generated a point-spread pick that is hitting in almost 60 percent of simulations. You absolutely need to see it before locking in your own picks.

Who wins the Big Ten battle between Wisconsin and Penn State? And which side of the spread is hitting in almost 60 percent of simulations? ... Join SportsLine right now to see which side of the Penn State vs. Wisconsin spread you need to jump on Saturday, all from the computer model that has crushed its college football picks!