After two impressive seasons as Penn State’s defensive coordinator, Manny Diaz is the new head coach at Duke. Diaz was officially introduced to the Durham faithful and the Cameron Crazies last Saturday.
Now, Penn State head coach James Franklin has to look for a new defensive leader as the 10th-ranked Nittany Lions (10-2) prepare for their Peach Bowl matchup against 11th-ranked Mississippi (10-2) Dec. 30 in Atlanta (ESPN, noon). PennStakes.com – your source for Pennsylvania sports betting - has hypothetical odds on who that might be. Here is what we determined:
Odds for Next DC at Penn State
These are hypothetical odds of PennStakes.com. You can find odds for Nittany Lions football and basketball at licensed PA sports betting apps.
How We Size Up the Field
Anthony Poindexter, the current Penn State co-defensive coordinator and safeties coach, has a chance to be promoted internally and has the best odds at +300 (25% chance). If, for some reason, that doesn’t pan out, former Indiana head coach Tom Allen and Illinois senior football analyst Jim Leonhard are tied for second at +700 (12.5%). Allen had been the head coach at fellow Big 10 foe Indiana University for the last seven seasons, posting a 33-49 record with two bowl game appearances.
Former Mississippi State head coach Zach Arnett is fourth on the list at +1000 (9.1%) and Syracuse defensive coordinator Elijah Robinson and North Carolina State defensive coordinator Tony Gibson round out the top five, tied at +1200 (7.7%). Other candidates not on the list are at +300 (25%).
As a reminder, National Signing Day for high school recruits is Dec. 20, with the current 30-day winter transfer portal window open until Dec. 31. Due to those dates, look for an announcement soon.
ESPN Bet Peach Bowl Prospects
As of early Monday afternoon, Penn State is a 3.5-point and a -185 moneyline favorite over Mississippi (+155) at ESPN Bet Pennsylvania with the game's over/under total at 49.5 points. This is the first-ever meeting between the two schools. If the Nittany Lions defeat Ole Miss, they will be the first college football program to win every New Year’s Six bowl game at least once.
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