Pinstripe Bowl Betting: Penn State Nittany Lions vs. Boston College Eagles Pick

The Boston College Eagles will look to beat the Penn State Nittany Lions for the fourth straight time when they meet in the New Era Pinstripe Bowl. The Eagles will face the Nittany Lions for the first time since 2004 and have won the last three meetings as underdogs but find themselves as favorites this time around.

Pinstripe Bowl point spread: Eagles opened as 2.5-point favorites; the total was 40. (Line updates and matchup report)

Odds Shark computer prediction: 23.7-18.1 Eagles

Why the Nittany Lions can cover the spread

It's safe to say Penn State underachieved this year, especially after getting off to a strong 4-0 start and covering the spread in three of those games. But that does not mean that the Nittany Lions are not capable of pulling off the victory here.

They may have dropped six of eight games down the stretch, but four of the losses were decided by seven points or less. Penn State was 4-0 straight-up and against the spread in nonconference games, which is certainly a positive for bettors to consider when handicapping this game.

The Nittany Lions simply struggled in Big Ten play but thrived against everyone else.

Why the Eagles can cover the spread

Boston College exceeded expectations this season with an 8-4 record against the spread to go along with a 7-5 mark straight-up. The Eagles may have played the defending national champion Florida State Seminoles tougher than any team so far this year, sitting in a 17-17 stalemate for more than a full quarter before losing by a field goal with three seconds remaining.

They still easily covered the 16.5-point spread against Florida State and earlier in the season upset the USC Trojans 37-31 as 17-point underdogs. Boston College may have overachieved a bit this season, but winning three games outright as a dog has helped this team build plenty of confidence along the way.

Smart Pick

Truth be told, the Big Ten did not have a good season overall outside of the Ohio State Buckeyes going unbeaten against conference opponents and sneaking into the College Football Playoff. Penn State should have performed better than a 2-6 record in the Big Ten while BC's 4-4 mark in ACC play is at least respectable.

The Eagles lost only one game this year by more than 10 points compared to two for the Nittany Lions, who were routed 29-6 by the Northwestern Wildcats as 10-point road favorites. That loss at Northwestern ended Penn State's four-game winning streak to start the season and seemed to change the team's fortunes the rest of the way.

The Nittany Lions are 0-3-1 ATS in their past four bowl games and will see that trend continue in another loss.

Trends

• Penn State is 1-4 ATS in its last five games
• The total has gone under in six of Boston College's last eight games

Note: All spread and odds data powered by Odds Shark. Follow us on Twitter for injury updates and line move updates.