Big Ten Roundup: Penn State vs Michigan Football Odds Favor Wolverines

Defending Big Ten Champion Michigan Should be Tested by Penn State

What a week for the college football world with three games featuring a pair of undefeated teams.

One of the most compelling NCAA matchups could be the Michigan-Penn State matchup as the Nittany Lions get a chance to prove that they can play with the Big Ten heavyweights keep on reading for more about the Penn State vs Michigan football odds.

Michigan (+2000) is sixth in the odds to win the national title with Penn State being tied for 10th at +8000.

Two of the top running backs in the nation will be featured in the Illinois-Minnesota matchup while both Wisconsin and Michigan State get to prove that they are better than they have looked at times this season in what should be an action-packed Week 7 in the Big Ten even with conference favorite Ohio State not playing this weekend. There are multiple contests that could shake up the football Big Ten standings.

Michigan (+2000) is sixth in the odds to win the national title with Penn State being tied for 10th at +8000.

Ohio State, Michigan and Penn State are all in the top 10 in both the Associated Press and American Football Coaches Association polls.

Game of the Week

Penn State Nittany Lions vs Michigan Wolverines

This could be a fun one with a pair of undefeated teams set to collide when 10th-ranked Penn State (5-0, 2-0 in the Big Ten) travels to meet No. 4 Michigan 6-0, 3-0). The Wolverines have won 11 home games in a row since Penn State’s 27-17 win in 2020.

Quarterbacks Sean Clifford of Penn State and J.J. McCarthy of Michigan have combined for 18 touchdown passes and just three interceptions. McCarthy tends to take more chances as he averages 9.6 yards per attempt and that is more than two yards ahead of Clifford’s mark. That is just one of the reasons that the Penn State vs Michigan football odds favor the Wolverines.

Michigan leads the conference with 22 sacks, however, Penn State has given up only seven sacks this season.

Parker Washington has yet to find the end zone for Penn State while Cornelius Johnson is just fourth on the Wolverines with 182 receiving yards. They were expected to be two of the most productive pass catchers in the Big Ten in 2022 and is this the week when it all comes together?

The bend but don’t break defensive philosophy is working wonders for both teams. Opponents have just six touchdowns on 15 drives into the red zone against Penn State while Michigan’s defense has surrendered six TDs on 11 trips to the red zone by opposing teams.

The losing team has been held under 20 points in seven of the last eight games in this series so keep that in mind when looking at the Penn State vs Michigan football odds.

Other Games to Watch

Minnesota Golden Gophers vs Illinois Fighting Illini

Illinois (5-1, 2-1) has been the biggest surprise in the Big Ten and the Fighting Illini were rewarded by breaking into the Associated Press poll at No. 24.

Chase Brown, the second-leading rusher in the country has led the way while Minnesota’s Mohamed Ibrahim is fourth in the nation in rushing yards per game. Brown leads the country with 28 running plays of at least 10 yards and Ibrahim has 19 of those runs in just four games as he missed last week’s game against Purdue with an ankle injury. The word is that he is expected to be back this week for Minnesota (4-1, 1-1).

Illinois and Minnesota rank first and third in the Big Ten in rushing defense so it will be strength against strength for two teams in contention for the Big Ten West Division title.

Minnesota has won eight of the last 11 games with four of the last five meetings finishing under the total.

Maryland Terrapins vs Indiana Hoosiers

There could be plenty of points in this one. Indiana (3-3, 1-2) has allowed more points than any other Big Ten team while Maryland (4-2, 1-2) is 10th in scoring defense.

Indiana has surrendered 14 offensive plays of 30 yards or longer, the second highest total in the Big Ten while Maryland has allowed 10 such plays.

Only Ohio State has more plays from scrimmage of at least 40 yards while Indiana has 14 runs or passes for at least 30 yards so this could be a fun one to check out.

Indiana had won five of six games against Maryland before the Terrapins’ 38-35 win as a 3.5-point favorite at home according  to the NCAAF spreads.

Wisconsin Badgers vs Michigan State Spartans

It seems a bit strange to see Wisconsin and Michigan State tied for last in the two Big Ten divisions heading into this week’s meeting.

Wisconsin’s Braelon Allen is one of the five backs in the Big Ten to average more than 100 rushing yards per game. As for Michigan State (2-4, 0-3) , Jalen Berger is 15th in the conference with an average of 51.3 yards per game.

Graham Mertz is coming off a game with five touchdown passes in the Badgers’ win over Northwestern. It has been a tough start to the season for Spartans QB Payton Thorne as he has almost as many touchdown passes (nine) as interceptions (seven).

A bigger issue for Michigan State is a defense that has allowed a conference-high 1,752 passing yards.

Wisconsin (3-3, 1-2) is looking to beat Michigan State three times in a row for the first time since the 1995, 1999 and 2000 seasons. The Spartans have managed a total of six points in the last two meetings.

Nebraska Cornhuskers vs Purdue Boilermakers

Nebraska (3-3, 2-1) is going after its first three-game winning streak since opening the 2016 season with seven consecutive victories.

Wins against Indiana and Rutgers did not come easy, but a victory is a victory.

The Nebraska running game still needs plenty of work after averaging 2.25 and 2.48 yards per carry in the last two contests. A big improvement has come on the other side of the ball. The Huskers are still last in the Big Ten in rushing defense, but in the last two games opponents were held under three yards per carry.

Don’t expect to see many rushing attempts from a Purdue team that has led the conference in passing attempts per game in each of the last three seasons.

The Boilermakers (4-2, 2-1) are third in that category this year. Aidan O’Connell was 30 of 41 for 360 yards as the Boilermakers topped Maryland for their third win in a row.

Four of the last five games between the teams have been decided by 10 points or less with the road squad winning four of those contests.

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