In a matchup featuring two programs ranked in the Top 15 nationally, the No. 14 Penn State Nittany Lions (+10) are set to face off against their Big 10 foe Michigan Wolverines (-10) at Michigan Stadium. ESPN will televise the action and this critical afternoon game is scheduled to kick off at 3:45 p.m. ET.
Penn State Nittany Lions vs. Michigan Wolverines Betting Preview
In this Saturday Big Ten matchup, Michigan is tabbed as the big favorite and the team’s currently giving up 10 points. If they are wanting to play the moneyline, bettors would currently have to put down $400 in order to win $100 back on the Wolverines (-400). The Nittany Lions are getting +300 moneyline odds. It appears that there should be some good in-game betting opportunities in this contest, and Vegas has placed the over/under (O/U) at 51 points.
The Nittany Lions are down 4.0 units so far and 5-3 against the spread (ATS). The team has posted an O/U record of 6-2. The surprising Wolverines are up 3.5 units this season. They’re 5-3 ATS and own an even O/U record of 4-4.
The Nittany Lions are 6-2 straight up (SU), including 3-2 SU against Big 10 opponents. The Wolverines are 7-1 SU overall and 5-0 SU in conference play.
The Nittany Lions just scored a 30-24 victory over Iowa last week. The passing attack could’ve been sharper as Trace McSorley completed just 11-of-25 passes for 167 yards, along with a score and a pick. Miles Sanders (62 yards on 17 rush attempts) and the signal-caller McSorley (63 yards on 12 carries, one TD) led the ground attack in the win. KJ Hamler (five receptions, 96 yards) and DeAndre Thompkins (five catches, 59 yards) handled the receiving duties.
Michigan just put together a 21-7 win over Michigan State back in Week 8. The Wolverines defense did its duty in the victory, limiting the Spartans to just 79 passing yards and 15 rushing yards. LJ Scott was a bright spot in the loss, recording 15 yards on one catch for Michigan State. For Michigan, Shea Patterson completed 14-of-25 passes for 212 yards and two touchdowns. Karan Higdon (144 rushing yards on 33 attempts) led the ground game in the win as Grant Perry (three receptions, 30 yards) and Nico Collins (three catches, 24 yards, one TD) led the pass-catching corps.
Penn State’s run the ball on 57.0 percent of its offensive possessions this year while Michigan has an overall rush percentage of 62.8 percent. The Nittany Lions have run for 225 yards per game (including 218 per game versus Big Ten opponents) and have 27 touchdowns via handoffs this year. The Wolverines are putting up 213 rushing yards per game (228 in conference) and have 17 total rush TDs.
The Nittany Lions offensive scheme has averaged 234 yards in the air overall (224 per game against conference opposition) and has 15 passing scores so far. The Wolverines have recorded 208 pass yards per outing (206.4 in the Big 10) and have 14 total pass TDs.
Penn State has allowed opponents to rush for an average of 161 yards and pass for 225 yards per game. The Michigan defense has given up 122.9 yards per game to opposing passers and 97.1 yards per game to opposing runners. The Wolverines are allowing an adjusted net yards per pass attempt (ANY/A) of just 2.72 to opponents, while the Nittany Lions have given up a 4.12 ANY/A.
Passing-wise, McSorley has put up 1,408 yards this year. He’s connected on 53 percent of his 195 attempts with 12 scores through the air and only three interceptions. He has a 6.99 adjusted net yards per pass attempt overall, although that number sits at 4.27 over the last two outings.
Shea Patterson has managed to complete 109-of-163 passes for 1,399 yards, 12 TDs and three INTs for Michigan. His ANY/A stands at 8.31 for the season and 6.82 over his last two outings.
When these two schools faced one another a year ago, Penn State knocked Michigan off easily 42-13.
RELATED: Week 10 College Football Betting Odds and Predictions
Free Prediction: Penn State Nittany Lions vs. Michigan Wolverines
SU Winner – Michigan, ATS Winner – Michigan, O/U – Under
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Notes
Team Betting Trends
The Over/Under for Penn State’s previous game was set at 52. The over cashed in the team’s 30-24 win over Iowa.
As a team, Penn State has averaged 4.8 yards per rush attempt over its past three outings and 4.1 over its last two.
Michigan has averaged 4.8 yards per carry over its last three games and 5.0 over its past two.
The Michigan offense has lost three fumbles this season while Penn State has lost seven.
Over its last three contests, Penn State is 1-2 ATS and the over cashed in two of those three.
The Over/Under for Michigan’s last match was set at 38.5. The under cashed in that 21-7 victory over Michigan State.
In its last three contests, Michigan is 3-0 ATS and the over cashed in two of those three.
The Nittany Lions offense has created seven pass plays of 40 or more yards, while the Wolverines have put up six such plays.
Both teams have allowed two pass plays of 40 yards or more and seven pass plays of 30+ yards.
The Penn State offense has created 16 rushing plays of 20 or more yards, while Michigan has created 17 such runs.
The Nittany Lions defense has allowed 10 rushing plays of 20+ yards, while the Wolverines have given up nine such runs.
The Penn State defensive unit has 28 sacks on the year while Michigan has 24.
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