<body><div><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=12NEXN_0w4UsgxY00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=12NEXN_0w4UsgxY00" width="1182" height="619" >For the second time in three weeks, <a href="https://247sports.com/college/penn-state/">Penn State</a> is set to participate in one of the marquee games of a college football Saturday when it faces <a href="https://247sports.com/college/usc/">USC</a> on the road. And while the game lost a bit of luster when the Trojans dropped two of three to tumble out of the top 25, it's still an opportunity for the No. 4 Nittany Lions to make a statement on the national stage.And that means that as opposed to previous matchups against <a href="https://247sports.com/college/ucla/">UCLA</a> or <a href="https://247sports.com/college/kent-state/">Kent State</a> or <a href="https://247sports.com/college/bowling-green/">Bowling Green</a>, Penn State's contest with USC made the rundown for some prominent national figures to make picks.<a href="https://247sports.com/college/penn-state/longformarticle/penn-state-usc-score-predictions-experts-lions247-237642658/">Our Lions247 panel, plus some guest picks from the USC side of things, like Penn State</a>. As of Saturday morning, the Nittany Lions were 3.5-point favorites according to Sportsline. That number had been as high as five, and the Lions247 picks were made with a four-point spread in mind.But either way, Penn State is a road favorite at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, and the expectation is that the Nittany Lions can take care of business against USC.The ESPN "College GameDay" crew agrees. The venerable pregame show, which was broadcasting live from Eugene, Ore., ahead of the big-time matchup between No. 2 <a href="https://247sports.com/college/ohio-state/">Ohio State</a> and No. 3 <a href="https://247sports.com/college/oregon/">Oregon</a>, features a panel of host Rece Davis and analysts Desmond Howard, <a href="https://247sports.com/Coach/nick-saban-3/">Nick Saban</a>, <a href="https://247sports.com/Player/pat-mcafee-42171/">Pat McAfee</a> and Kirk Herbstreit, with Lee Corso not making the trip west Saturday.The group added actor Kaitlin Olson, one of the stars of "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" and an Oregon alum, as its guest-picker for the festivities.Here's how the picks broke down from the "College GameDay" crew:<ul><li>Desmond Howard: Penn State</li><li>Nick Saban: Penn State</li><li>Pat McAfee: Penn State</li><li>Kirk Herbstreit: Penn State</li><li>Kaitlin Olson (guest picker): Penn State</li></ul>Penn State and USC are scheduled to kick at 3:30 p.m. ET/12:30 p.m. PT on CBS and Paramount+.Here's a quick rundown of some other picks from CBS Sports and 247Sports for Penn State-USC:Against the spread (Penn State -5.5):<ul><li>Dennis Dodd: Penn State -5.5</li><li>Tom Fornelli: Penn State -5.5</li><li>Chip Patterson: Penn State -5.5</li><li>Shehan Jeyarajah: Penn State -5.5</li><li>David Cobb: USC +5.5</li><li>Jerry Palm: Penn State -5.5</li><li>Brandon Marcello: Penn State -5.5</li><li>Richard Johnson: USC +5.5</li></ul>Straight up: <ul><li>Dennis Dodd: Penn State</li><li>Tom Fornelli: Penn State</li><li>Chip Patterson: Penn State</li><li>Shehan Jeyarajah: Penn State</li><li>David Cobb: USC</li><li>Jerry Palm: Penn State</li><li>Brandon Marcello: Penn State</li><li>Richard Johnson: Penn State</li></ul><a href="https://247sports.com/college/penn-state/longformarticle/college-football-predictions-ohio-state-vs-oregon-texas-vs-oklahoma-leads-week-7-menu-237624001/">247Sports</a> (Penn State -4.5)<ul><li>Brad Crawford: Penn State 27, USC 20</li></ul>"<a href="https://247sports.com/Coach/lincoln-riley-592/">Lincoln Riley</a> needs a rebound-win badly considering USC has lost each of its first two Big Ten road games and if this one was played in Happy Valley, the Nittany Lions would win by double digits. However, the Trojans should be focused at home and the cross-country trek for Penn State could affect one of the country's 12 remaining unbeatens. That said, defense travels and <a href="https://247sports.com/Player/miller-moss-46051144/">Miller Moss</a> will have to play mistake-free football for USC to win this one against a talented unit."<ul><li>Chris Hummer: Penn State 27, USC 21</li></ul>"Welcome to the Big Ten, USC. The Trojans are coming off a road loss to <a href="https://247sports.com/college/minnesota/">Minnesota</a> and now get a bounce back opportunity against a 5-0 Penn State squad. This is the best team the Trojans have seen this season, and it's a difficult matchup for a Trojan defense that's shown improvement but still ranks 98th nationally in success rate, per College Football Insiders. The Nittany Lions are a dynamic rushing attack and a suffocating defensive unit. It could be a long day for USC, especially if it turns the ball over."Daniel Gallen covers Penn State for Lions247 and 247Sports. He can be reached at <a href="mailto:daniel.gallen@paramount.com">daniel.gallen@paramount.com</a>. Follow Daniel on X at <a href="http://www.x.com/danieljtgallen">@danieljtgallen</a> and Instagram at <a href="http://www.instagram.com/bydanieljtgallen">@bydanieljtgallen</a>.</div></body>

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No. 4 Penn State at USC: Who did ‘College GameDay’ panel pick to win? Plus, other national picks

For the second time in three weeks, Penn State is set to participate in one of the marquee games of a college football Saturday when it faces USC on the road. And while the game lost a bit of luster when the Trojans dropped two of three to tumble out of the top 25, it's still an opportunity for the No. 4 Nittany Lions to make a statement on the national stage.

No. 4 Penn State at USC: Who did ‘College GameDay’ panel pick to win? Plus, other national picks

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