Penn State Football and Big Ten picks ATS
Penn State football is headed to Ann Arbor in search of there first victory there since 2009 and the first road victory at Michigan in the James Franklin era.
Penn State football is still in search of that elusive first victory of the season as they travel to take on a 2-3 Michigan squad that has underachieved a preseason top 25 ranking to this point.
The season has not gone the way either team would have imagined, however a win Saturday could turn the tide in a positive direction as the season begins to wind down. The Wolverines did open up as a four point favorite in this one, however the line has moved all the way back to a pick em.
Saturday’s conference slate is void of any ranked matchups but still has some good games with lines that provide some value. Lets make some money!
Here’s a look at our against the spread predictions:
Last week: 2-2
Record to Date: 8-9
Penn State pick em vs Michigan
Penn State football and Michigan are arguably two of the most disappointing teams in the country, but somebody has to win this one.
Penn State still has more questions then answers and may even start five freshman on offense Saturday. It remains to be seen how much of, if any, of Devyn Ford we will see for the Nittany Lions, meaning freshmen Keyvone Lee and Coziah Holmes will carry the load on offense.
Coach James Franklin mentioned the possibility of using both quarterbacks, Sean Clifford and Will Levis in his weekly press conference earlier this week after both saw action in the loss to Iowa. Michigan has one of the worst passing defenses in the conference, ranking 13th out of 14 in passing yards allowed and passing touchdowns allowed per game. Adding insult to injury, Michigan will be without there top two defensive linemen in Kwity Paye and Aidan Hutchinson.
Michigan also has questions at quarterback after benching Joe Milton in favor of sophomore Cade Mcnamara last week at Rutgers. Mcnamara dazzled in relief, throwing for 260 yards and four touchdowns in the triple overtime victory. Michigan will be without one of these best playmakers on the outside in Giles Jackson, who is third on the team in receiving. Penn State’s defense has been solid statistically, ranking fourth in passing yards allowed per game in the Big Ten, but there propensity to give up big plays has been disastrous.
Both of these teams have major issues on both sides of the ball, however Michigan may be the only team plagued with injuries worse then Penn State football right now. We saw last with Will Levis, the backup quarterback comes in and sparks the team, but the shine wears off as you transition into the next game. I think McNamara comes back down to earth against a more talented Penn State defense. Penn State 34-28.