It’s time for Nittany Sports Now’s weekly Penn State predictions.
Will Penn State keep rolling on its path to a home College Football Playoff game?
Will Minnesota break PSU’s hearts like it did in 1999 and 2019?
Vegas says no, which is why Penn State is a 11.5-point favorite. But what does our crew think will happen? Here’s what.
ANDY STINE, NITTANY SPORTS NOW/ALTOONA MIRROR
The Lions are playing too well to fall to a team that lost to Rutgers two weeks ago.
Penn State 42, Minnesota 21
JARROD PRUGAR, NITTANY SPORTS NOW/ALTOONA MIRROR
Penn State needs to stay away from slip ups. It needs to establish the run on offense and thwart the run defensively. If it does that, it should win handily.
Add Nittany Sports Now as a preferred source in Google! Click here to add us.Penn State 37, Minnesota 12
JOE SMELTZER, NITTANY SPORTS NOW
MINNEAPOLIS, MN – SEPTEMBER 07: Minnesota Gophers defensive back Koi Perich (3) looks on after the college football game between the Rhode Island Rams and the Minnesota Golden Gophers on September 7, 2024, at Huntington Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, MN. (Photo by Bailey Hillesheim/Icon Sportswire)
Minnesota does indeed have a path to upset Penn State. That path is winning the turnover battle— a statistic coach James Franklin brings up in every single one of his postgame press conferences. Plenty of Big Ten teams are better than Minnesota overall but none have intercepted the ball more times (16). When teams pull upsets, turnovers usually play a big part, and Minnesota is capable of causing some problems. But one of the strengths of Penn State’s offense is that it takes care of the ball. QB Drew Allar has thrown 680 passes in his college career and only seven have been intercepted. Granted, three of them came Oct. 12 against USC (really, only two, considering one was on a Hail Mary). But even then, the Penn State defense held USC to a total of six points off those turnovers. So even if Allar does throw a pick, the Penn State defense is more than capable of limiting the damage.
I don’t think Minnesota can win this game without turnovers, and even if it gets them, I’m not sure it can fully capitalize.
Penn State 24, Minnesota 13
These are our Penn State predictions. What are yours?
