The Minnesota Golden Gophers (4-2, 1-2 Big Ten) travel to Happy Valley to face the No. 16 Penn State Nittany Lions (5-1, 2-1) Saturday in the greatest show in college sports. Kickoff for this year’s edition of the White Out Game is slated for 7:30 p.m. ET (ABC). Below, we analyze Tipico Sportsbook‘s lines around the Minnesota vs. Penn State odds, and make our expert college football picks and predictions.
Minnesota comes into this game on a 2-game losing streak, with both losses being against Big Ten opponents. They first lost Oct. 1, to Purdue (20-10), and then continued their losing streak Oct. 15, vs. Illinois (26-14). This will be their 4th-straight game vs. a Big Ten opponent, with their lone win coming Sept. 24, vs. Michigan State (34-7). They are hoping that QB Tanner Morgan will be able to play in this big-time matchup after being carted off the field in last weekend’s loss. If he’s out, this will make an already tough matchup even tougher.
Penn State comes into this game looking for a big win to keep their hopes of getting an NY6 bowl game alive. After suffering their 1st loss of the season in a blowout game vs. Michigan (41-17) last weekend, they are looking to get back on track. Led by 6th-year QB Sean Clifford and standout freshman RB Nick Singleton, this team poses a tough matchup for this Minnesota squad. Clifford is completing only 59% of his passes (92 of 156 attempts) for 1,150 yards and 9 TDs with 2 interceptions. Penn State will look to their offense to produce points and electrify the white out crowd in this game. Penn State is confident in their defense’s ability, and if Minnesota is without their QB it should further solidify the belief they have in this defense.
Penn State is No. 16 in the AFCA Coaches Poll powered by USA TODAY Sports.
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Minnesota at Penn State odds
Provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated 7:50 a.m. ET.
- Moneyline (ML): Minnesota +180 (bet $100 to win $180) | Penn State -220 (bet $220 to win $100)
- Against the spread (ATS): Minnesota +5.5 (-112) | Penn State -5.5 (-108)
- Over/Under (O/U): 43.5 (O: -107 | U: -115)
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Minnesota at Penn State picks and predictions
Prediction
Penn State 31, Minnesota 17
Moneyline
AVOID
This should be an easy win for Penn State, especially behind this electrifying white out crowd that is very happy with their team right now despite last week’s loss. But, they are too heavily favored for me to advise you to risk money here.
Against the spread
BET PENN STATE -5.5 (-108)
This is your safest play in this game. Penn State will come out of the gates firing on all cylinders after the blowout loss they suffered in last weekend’s game. Expect this defense to string together stops, even with Minnesota RB Mohamed Ibrahim back healthy. This team will rely heavily on the run, which is where Penn State’s defense lacked against Michigan, but don’t let that worry you too much. This Penn State offense will lean on its stars to make big plays, and when that happens and the crowd gets into it, they will essentially phase out Minnesota’s offense completely.
LEAN OVER 43.5 (-107)
Normally I would advise you to lean on the Under in Penn State home games, but not in this one. Penn State should be able to score at will and expect the defense to make big plays, as they always seem to do. Don’t let last week’s score fool you, this Penn State defense is legit. At halftime of last week’s Michigan game, Penn State was only down 16-14, with 7 of those points being scored by the defense. This defense can hold teams, but the offense has to keep them off the field and hold their own. If Penn State can do that then they should comfortably cover the Over in this game.
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