For the first time this season, there is some collective concern about Penn State’s outlook on the road at Michigan this week from our staff at Nittany Lions Wire. We do not have a consensus on the outcome of this week’s Big Ten top-10 showdown in Ann Arbor, but this is the first time the majority of the staff is predicting the Nittany Lions to take a hit in the loss column.
Here are our staff predictions for this week’s game between Penn State and Michigan with at least a share of first place in the Big Ten East on the line in Michigan Stadium.
Andrew Harbaugh, @MandrewH_
Final Score: Penn State 21, Michigan 17
I truly have become a believer in this team. They play with an edge and are a perfect blend of young and old and I think that rotation causes problems for Michigan. I also believe JJ McCarthy hasn’t faced a tough defense yet and that is going to change Saturday. Look for some forced turnovers and the heavy dose of the freshman running backs.
Sam Dehring, @sam_dehring68
Final score: Michigan 31, Penn State 10
I think Michigan wins with a score of 27-17. Michigan won 31-10 against Indiana last weekend, but they wren also tied at 10 by halftime. The week prior they barely beat Maryland. I’m not saying Maryland is hot but they have certainly had a solid season thus far. Sure, 31-10 isn’ t close by any means, but teams have kept it close with them. I still think the Wolverines comes out of this game with a win.
Kevin McGuire, @KevinOnCFB
Final score: Michigan 23, Penn State 20
Get ready for a heartbreaker, again. Penn State has the defense to cause problems for Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy and that will lead to a couple of mistakes, but I think this game once again goes down to the wire with Michigan making just enough extra plays to come away with the win. Defenses will set the tone here and Michigan’s running game will be just a little bit better than Penn State’s to help them get the win.
| Winner | Final score | Season straight-up | Season ATS | |
| Andrew | Penn State | 21-17 | 4-0 | 2-2 |
| Kevin | Michigan | 23-20 | 4-0 | 2-2 |
| Sam | Michigan | 31-10 | 3-1 | 1-3 |
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