The No. 16 Penn State Nittany Lions will look to continue their recent dominance over the Minnesota Golden Gophers when they meet in a key Big Ten Conference crossover matchup on Saturday. Although the Gophers (4-2, 1-2) won the last meeting, a 31-26 win at Minnesota in 2019, the Nittany Lions (5-1, 2-1) have won five of the past seven meetings. They have not lost at home to the Gophers since 2003. Minnesota is coming off a 26-14 loss at Illinois, while Penn State will look to rebound from a 41-17 defeat at then-No. 10 Michigan last Saturday.
The game from Beaver Stadium in University Park, Pa., is set to kick off at 7:30 p.m. ET. Minnesota’s defense is allowing 263.7 total yards per game this season, sixth-best in FBS, while Penn State is giving up 378.5, 69th-best. The Nittany Lions are favored by 5 points in the latest Minnesota vs. Penn State odds from Caesars Sportsbook, while the over/under for total points scored is 43. Before making any Penn State vs. Minnesota picks, be sure to check out the college football predictions and betting advice from the SportsLine Projection Model.
The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every FBS college football game 10,000 times. Over the past six-plus years, the proprietary computer model has generated a stunning profit of almost $3,000 for $100 players on its top-rated college football picks against the spread. Anyone who has followed it has seen huge returns.
Now, the model has set its sights on Minnesota vs. Penn State and just locked in its picks and CFB predictions. You can visit SportsLine now to see the model’s picks. Here are the college football odds and betting lines or Penn State vs. Minnesota:
- Penn State vs. Minnesota spread: Penn State -5
- Penn State vs. Minnesota over/under: 43 points
- Penn State vs. Minnesota money line: Minnesota +175, Penn State -210
- MIN: The Golden Gophers are 8-2 against the spread in their last 10 road games
- PSU: The Nittany Lions are 4-0-1 ATS in their last five games after allowing more than 40 points in their previous game
- Penn State vs. Minnesota picks: See picks here
Featured Game | Penn State Nittany Lions vs. Minnesota Golden Gophers
Why Penn State can cover
One of the Nittany Lions off to a solid start to the season is redshirt sophomore tight end Brenton Strange. He leads the receiving corps with four touchdown passes and has started all six games. He has 16 receptions for 240 yards, and was named the team’s Offensive Player of the Game after the Oct. 1 win over Northwestern. In the season opener at Purdue, he registered two receptions for 77 yards, including a career-long 67-yard scoring strike from Sean Clifford late in the second quarter.
Defensively, senior safety Ji’Ayir Brown has been a difference-maker. He leads the Lions with 34 tackles, including 25 solo, with one sack for five yards, two pass breakups and two interceptions for 57 yards, including a long of 30 yards. He has also forced one fumble. In his career at Penn State, he has 11 takeaways, including eight interceptions, two fumble recoveries and one forced fumble.
Why Minnesota can cover
Despite that, the Nittany Lions are not a lock to cover the Minnesota vs. Penn State spread. That’s because the Golden Gophers have a solid offense, even if Morgan isn’t able to go. Whether or not he plays, Minnesota has other weapons, including senior running back Mohamed Ibrahim. Ibrahim leads the team with 104 carries for 694 yards (6.7 average) and nine touchdowns. He has scored at least one touchdown in all five games he has played, including three against Colorado on Sept. 17. In that game, he carried 23 times for 202 yards (8.8 average).
Also helping power the Golden Gophers offense is senior tight end Brevyn Spann-Ford. Spann-Ford has 18 receptions for 252 yards (14.0 average) and one touchdown. He has at least two receptions in all six games, including a season-high four at Illinois last week. His best game was a three-catch performance for 64 yards and a score against Western Illinois.
How to make Minnesota vs. Penn State picks
SportsLine’s model is leaning Over on the total, projecting 50 combined points. It also says one side of the spread hits more than 50% of the time. You can only get the model’s CFB picks and analysis at SportsLine.
So who wins Minnesota vs. Penn State? And which side of the spread hits more than 50% of the time? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the Minnesota vs. Penn State spread to jump on, all from the advanced model that finished the past six-plus years up nearly $3,000 on its FBS college football picks, and find out.