LAS VEGAS -- The Las Vegas bookmakers expected Tennessee to roll over Penn State by at least 11 points in the Citrus Bowl, but that didn't stop one bettor from wagering $220,000 on the Nittany Lions.

At odds favoring the Volunteers 3-1, the unidentified bettor was confident Penn State could outright beat Tennessee on New Year's Day. He put down $120,000 at Binion's Horseshoe, a Las Vegas sports bar, and $100,000 at The Mirage, a hotel-casino in Las Vegas.

"This individual plays with us every week and likes to wager with one team," said Nick Bogvanovich, sports book manager at Binion's Horseshoe. "He just likes what (Joe) Paterno does when he has a few weeks to prepare his team."

Coach Paterno and Company didn't let him down. They used almost a month's preparation to shut down Tennessee's prolific offense, en route to a 31-13 win.

"I'll say one thing," said Jimmy Vaccaro, race and sports book director at The Mirage, "the guy from Happy Valley made the guy from our valley very happy."

And very rich, to the sum of $825,000.

However, not all of the bettors were smiling on New Year's Day. Many, including professionals, viewed Tennessee as a guaranteed winner. In fact, so many bettors wagered on Tennessee that the Vols were bet up from 9- to 11-point favorites.

"Plenty of people thought Tennessee would kill you guys," Vaccaro said. "So what we lost on one big bet, we made up from the bets on the other end."

Tennessee was the logical pick: The Vols had dominated teams offensively, while Penn State's defense was susceptible at best. Race and Sports Book Director Robert Walker of the Stardust Hotel and Casino even picked Tennessee as a wise bet, expecting the Vols to win 40-28.

"I made Tennessee my pick as the No. 2 team in the country behind Florida State," Walker explained. "No team was better at this point in the season than Tennessee."

Whether that was true or not, Vaccaro saw an upset brewing, especially in the second half.

"Tennessee came out flat," he said. "Penn State came out like tigers."

The Lions were a team with plenty of support from bookmakers. Walker said that with so much money riding on Tennessee, he was "rooting heavily" for Penn State.

"I don't care who I picked as the best bet on paper, we needed Penn State to pull off the upset," Walker said.

The Nittany Lions were not the only upset for bettors on New Year's Day. Miami, a 5-point favorite, was shockingly upset by Arizona, 29-0. Wisconsin beat UCLA as a 6-point underdog. Notre Dame failed to meet the 7-point spread in its 24-21 win against Texas A&M, and Nebraska foiled the 17-point favorite Florida State in its 18-16 loss.