Capital One Bowl: No. 13 Penn State (10-2) vs. No. 12 LSU (9-3)

Excellent New Year’s Day matchup in Orlando between traditional powers Penn State and LSU, with the Nittany Lions currently 2.5-point favorites on WagerWeb.com.

LSU’s three losses came to ranked foes Florida, Alabama and Mississippi, and none of the three was by more than 10 points. And the Tigers tear it up when they play outside the SEC. LSU has won four bowl games in a row (all but big margins), and the Tigers’ last non-conference loss of any kind came on Jan. 1, 2005, against Iowa in this bowl game.

Penn State, meanwhile, was in the hunt for a BCS at-large spot and closed the season with an impressive rout at Michigan State. But Joe Paterno’s team was overlooked for the BCS in favor of Iowa, which won at Penn State earlier this year.

LSU is down to its fourth-string running back after starter Charles Scott and backups Keiland Williams and Richard Murphy were lost for the season with injuries. Now Stevan Ridley is the featured back. He got the first start of his collegiate career against visiting Arkansas in the regular-season finale in the Tigers’ 33-30 victory in overtime. He had 14 carries for 48 yards in that game and 167 yards and two touchdowns on 33 carries overall this season. Offense has been a problem all year for LSU, which ranks No. 109 in total offense in the nation. It finished 11th in the SEC in rushing and ninth in passing.

Penn State should have a big advantage on offense with senior QB Daryll Clark. He leads the Big Ten in pass efficiency (145.7) and touchdown passes (23). He completed 214 of 346 passes (61.8 percent) for 2,787 yards en route to winning team MVP honors, but he also has thrown 10 interceptions. The Lions have a 21-4 record in games that Clark has started and they’re 3-2 against ranked teams. But they were embarrassed in their two biggest home games this year, losing 21-10 to Iowa and 24-7 to Ohio State. The Lions also have a 1,000-yard rusher in Evan Royster.

Expect a low-scoring game here. LSU ranks in the Top 20 in the nation in scoring and pass efficiency defense, while PSU is in the nation’s Top 12 in total defense, rushing defense and scoring defense.

This year’s meeting will be just the second between these schools.

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