Penn State Opens as Favorite Over Minnesota

The Nittany Lions did just enough to escape against Washington for their second consecutive victory on Saturday. The oddsmakers like the win streak to continue when Minnesota comes to Happy Valley on Saturday. Penn State has opened as a 7.5-point favorite , according to FanDuel. Penn State raced out to an impressive 28-6 halftime lead on the road against the Huskies. However, Washington was able to keep the Nittany Lions off the scoreboard in the second half as they nearly completed a comeback victory. Penn State was able to escape disaster by holding the ball for the last 7:40 to seal the win, thanks to a 14-play drive that ended in victory formation at the Washington 3-yard line. The win moved Penn State to 5-4, one game from bowl eligibility that at one time looked dicey after an 0-4 start in Big Ten play. Minnesota also enters the game at 5-4. The Gophers are coming off a brutal three-game stretch over ranked teams. They were able to upset #15 Iowa 13-10 at home thanks to a last-second field goal. However, they were on the other end of the late game heroics as Indiana was able to pull off a 60-yard field goal to avoid the upset and send the game to overtime, where they would eventually take down the Gophers. Minnesota went into halftime against #8 UCLA 10-10, before the Bruins pulled away for a 34-20 victory and deny the Gophers another upset victory. Penn State and Minnesota last played in 2024, when the Nittany Lions were able to escape with a 26-25 victory thanks to a game-ending drive where they converted three fourth downs, including a memorable fake punt by Luke Reynolds, who is now a standout at Virginia Tech. Penn State and Minnesota kick off at 7 p.m. on Saturday from what is expected to be a snowy night in Beaver Stadium. Coverage will be provided by FS1.