When push came to shove, the No. 9 Penn State Nittany Lions couldn’t hold back No. 4 Ohio State in their last outing. It was a very close game, with the Buckeyes escaping with a 27-26 victory. Now Penn State will try and shake it off going into Saturday’s game against the Michigan State Spartans, beginning at 3:30 p.m. ET on BTN (live streaming via BTN2GO, WatchESPN).
Michigan State vs. Penn State: Predicting the winner, plus start time and how to watch online
Can Penn State shake off their first loss of the season and hold off Michigan State on Saturday?
Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images
Penn State had four straight wins to start their season, but Ohio State was their first ranked opponent. They haven’t fallen too far given the quality of the Buckeyes’ team, but they can’t sleep on a team like the Spartans, especially with two more games against ranked competition on the schedule.
The Spartans are nowhere near where they hoped to be this season, sitting at 3-2 and third in the Big Ten-East division. They’ve lost to Arizona State and Northwestern, and have three games against ranked opponents coming up, counting Saturday’s game.
Below is all you need to know going into Saturday.
Michigan State vs. Penn State prediction
According to the latest S&P+ projections, Penn State is seventh in the nation, up one spot from last week, with 21.8 points. Michigan State comes in with 9.6 points, down 10 spots to 31st in the nation from a week ago.
This suggests Penn Staet would have a 12.2-point advantage on a neutral field, and it happens to be a home game for the Nittany Lions. The Spartans aren’t bad, but even a close game would be disappointing for Penn State at this stage.
Time, TV, and streaming info
Michigan State vs. Penn State news
- There are a few changes to the Penn State depth chart going into Saturday’s game. Shane Simmons is back, among other changes.
- You can also check out the Black Shoe Diaries preview of Saturday’s game, as well as their look at the numbers.
- One big issue the Spartans had their last time out was a lack of consistent running game.
- The folks at the The Only Colors took a look at their opponents, the Nittany Lions.
- Despite the fact that the Spartans are struggling big time, analysts predict they’ll make it to the Outback Bowl.
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