Penn State vs. Alabama Football: 3 Prop Bets for the Beaver Stadium Showdown

The No. 3 Alabama Crimson Tide travel to face the No. 23 Penn State Nittany Lions inside Beaver Stadium for the first time since the 1989 season.  Saturday's kickoff is scheduled at 3:30 p.m. EDT from University Park, PA, and will televised on ABC.

Last year's contest in Tuscaloosa ended with Alabama capturing a 24-3 win as 14.5-point home favorites, while the game stayed well below the posted total of 44. The Crimson Tide held a 126-yard advantage when the final whistle blew.

One of the best ways to make money in a high profile contest is dabbling in proposition wagers, and this much-anticipated coaching rematch between Alabama's Nick Saban and Penn State's Joe Paterno offers plenty of them.

Let's take a closer look at three prop bets that will have you cashing at the window.

Alabama QBs vs. Penn State QBs, Passing Yards

The Alabama Crimson Tide quarterback duo of A.J. McCarron and Philip Sims is not going to be asked to win this game. 

Nick Saban can simply look in last year's box score and know who needs to get the football. 

Junior running back Trent Richardson exploded for 144 rushing yards on 22 carries a year ago and will be motivated to put his Week 1 performance of this year behind him. He ran for 37 yards against the beleaguered Kent State Golden Flashes in last Saturday's opener.

Penn State has its own rotation under center, but much more experienced options in a game of this magnitude.

The lines-maker has favored Alabama to throw for 15.5 more yards in this contest. 

I don't think so.

Recommendation:  Penn State quarterbacks (+15.5 passing yards)

Total First Downs

Alabama out-gained Penn State by a 409-283 margin thanks to finishing the contest with a plus-three turnover ratio.

In looking closer at the statistics, the Crimson Tide finished with just a 19-17 advantage in first downs, despite averaging 2.5 yards more per play.

Penn State running back Silas Redd carried the rock just five times for 26 yards in Tuscaloosa.

The bookmaker is sending out Alabama (-3) in terms of first downs on Saturday, but I'm going the other way.

Recommendation:  Penn State (+3) in total first downs

Will There Be a Score in the 1st Six Minutes?

Penn State head coach Joe Paterno will likely watch Saturday's game from the press box, and he will not want to go into halftime with a 17-0 deficit like last year.

Alabama scored the game's first points on a 36-yard touchdown pass with 8:56 remaining in the first quarter in 2010.

That sounds like a perfect time for me in playing this proposition.

Recommendation:  Over (there will be a score in the first six minutes)