PREMIUM
Rogers' EARLY ESPN WINNER >> NOON ET!
(NCAAF) Penn State vs. Michigan State,
Point Spread: -7.50 | -104.00 Penn State (Away)
Result: Loss
Point Spread: -7.50 | -104.00 Penn State (Away)
Result: Loss
The set-up: The Penn State Nittany Lions led Ohio State in Columbus 21-3 in the early second quarter and entered the 4th quarter with a 35-20 lead, However, J.T. Barrett's 4th-quarter onslaught (he completed his final 16 passes!) led the Buckeyes to a 39038 comeback win. The defeat left Penn State at 7-1 (4-1 in the Big Ten) and James Franklin's squad opened No. 7 in the initial CFP rankings released this week. It was not a pleasant Saturday last weekend for Michigan State either, as the Spartans also suffered a difficult defeat, falling 39-31 in three overtimes at Northwestern. MSU is 6-2 and like Penn State, 4-1 in the Big Ten East. Both schools are a game behind the first-place Buckeyes, who check in at 5-0. The loser here drops out of the Big Ten hunt.
Penn State: The Nittany Lions were guilty of some conservative offensive play-calling late against Ohio State but many teams have won at the Horseshoe since Meyer arrived.
QB Trace McSorley is completing 65.9 percent of his passes for 2,071 yards with 16 TDs and just five interceptions. WR DaeSean Hamilton and RB Saquon Barkley have combined for 965 receiving yards and eight TDs while WR Johnson and TE Gesiciki each have 30 receptions. The Penn State ground game is averaging 163.1 YPG (63rd), led by Barkley's 801 yards (5.8 YPC) and nine TDs. Penn State averages 39.6 PPG (14th) on 440.8 YPG (42nd) plus its defense allows 13.2 PPG (7th) on 313.6 YPG (19th).
Michigan State: The Spartans lost last Saturday, despite QB Brian Lewerke setting school records for passing yards (445) and completions (39) against Northwestern. His 57 passing attempts tied for the second-highest total in program history. A negative was that he was also was the leading rusher with just 30 yards, as team season leader LJ Scott (511 yards) was held to 16 and committed his fifth fumble, continuing a season-long issue for the Spartans. Lewerke is completing 61.4 percent of his passes for 1,807 yards with 14 TDs and four interceptions. The Spartans' ground game let them down last week but it is averaging 167.1 YPG on the season (63rd). Defensively, Michigan State is allowing 19.6 PPG (24th) on 283.4 YPG (8th).
The pick: Both teams own strong defenses but Penn State is averaging more than two TDs per game more than MSU, 39.6-to-23.8). Penn St. owns a much-better balanced offense, as the Spartans have averaged just 2.5 YPC their last two games. That won't cut it vs. Penn State, which is 12-3-1 ATS in its last 16 Big Ten games and 16-3-2 ATS in its last 21 games, overall. The favorite is 6-0 ATS in the last six meetings in this series, as well. Make that 7-0 and make Penn St. an 8* play.
Penn State: The Nittany Lions were guilty of some conservative offensive play-calling late against Ohio State but many teams have won at the Horseshoe since Meyer arrived.
QB Trace McSorley is completing 65.9 percent of his passes for 2,071 yards with 16 TDs and just five interceptions. WR DaeSean Hamilton and RB Saquon Barkley have combined for 965 receiving yards and eight TDs while WR Johnson and TE Gesiciki each have 30 receptions. The Penn State ground game is averaging 163.1 YPG (63rd), led by Barkley's 801 yards (5.8 YPC) and nine TDs. Penn State averages 39.6 PPG (14th) on 440.8 YPG (42nd) plus its defense allows 13.2 PPG (7th) on 313.6 YPG (19th).
Michigan State: The Spartans lost last Saturday, despite QB Brian Lewerke setting school records for passing yards (445) and completions (39) against Northwestern. His 57 passing attempts tied for the second-highest total in program history. A negative was that he was also was the leading rusher with just 30 yards, as team season leader LJ Scott (511 yards) was held to 16 and committed his fifth fumble, continuing a season-long issue for the Spartans. Lewerke is completing 61.4 percent of his passes for 1,807 yards with 14 TDs and four interceptions. The Spartans' ground game let them down last week but it is averaging 167.1 YPG on the season (63rd). Defensively, Michigan State is allowing 19.6 PPG (24th) on 283.4 YPG (8th).
The pick: Both teams own strong defenses but Penn State is averaging more than two TDs per game more than MSU, 39.6-to-23.8). Penn St. owns a much-better balanced offense, as the Spartans have averaged just 2.5 YPC their last two games. That won't cut it vs. Penn State, which is 12-3-1 ATS in its last 16 Big Ten games and 16-3-2 ATS in its last 21 games, overall. The favorite is 6-0 ATS in the last six meetings in this series, as well. Make that 7-0 and make Penn St. an 8* play.
