Illinois-Penn State 'College GameDay' predictions: Who picked Illini, Nittany Lions?

After plenty of talking and pregame drama , the Illinois and Penn State football teams are ready to meet on the field Saturday night.

For coach Bret Bielema and the No. 21 Fighting Illini , Saturday's game will be a chance to assert themselves as a legitimate threat to contend in the Big Ten after a 31-24 overtime win last week against Nebraska. Penn State, No. 8 in the US LBM Coaches Poll , remains a contender for the new 12-team College Football Playoff and in the Big Ten.

Though their game didn’t earn the “College GameDay” treatment — ESPN’s popular pregame show was broadcasting from Tuscaloosa, Alabama, ahead of Saturday night’s game between No. 4 Alabama and No. 2 Georgia — the matchup between Illinois and Penn State is one of the biggest on the Week 5 calendar. The game is scheduled to kick off at 6:30 p.m. from Beaver Stadium in University Park, Pennsylvania. The game is broadcast on NBC and streams on Peacock.

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What did 'GameDay' say about Illinois-Penn State?

Pat McAfee of the "College GameDay" crew was excited about the Illini, pointing out their solid quarterback play behind Luke Altmyer and receivers Pat Bryant and Zakhari Franklin. He said the large point spread put the Illini and Bielema "right where they want to be."

Host Rece Davis brought up Bielema's oft-discussed comment about " White Out energy, whatever the hell that means " (but left out the full context ). Fellow panelist Desmond Howard jumped in and said the Illini were about to "eff around and find out," highlighting the Penn State offense behind QB Drew Allar.

“I love what I see from this Penn State offense," Howard said. "It’s gonna be a great game tonight in Happy Valley.”

Here's who the "College GameDay" crew of McAfee, Nick Saban, celebrity guest-picker Terry Saban and more picked between the Illini and Nittany Lions:

Illinois-Penn State on 'College GameDay' | Who Pat McAfee, Lee Corso and Kirk Herbstreit picked:

• Desmond Howard: Penn State
• Nick Saban: Penn State
• Terry Saban : Penn State
• Pat McAfee: Penn State
• Lee Corso: Penn State
• Kirk Herbstreit: Penn State

Wes Huett is Journal Star local sports and news editor. Email him at whuett@pjstar.com . Follow him on Twitter @WesHuett.

This article originally appeared on Journal Star: Illinois-Penn State 'College GameDay' predictions: Who picked Illini, Nittany Lions?