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.