Penn State Football: causes for concern against the Michigan State Spartans

The logo

Although they haven’t been nearly as successful as the other two, Penn State Football fans often mention the Spartans in the same breath as Ohio State and Michigan–primarily because of Penn State’s struggles against them in recent years.

In James Franklin’s tenure, he is 3-5 Michigan State (2-2 at home). The Nittany Lions have not beaten the Spartans in front of fans at Beaver Stadium since the division-clinching win way back in 2016.

There have been years when Michigan State was certainly the better team–such as in 2015 when they won the Big Ten and made the College Football Playoff–so it makes some sense to lose in those years. However, there have also been times when Penn State was the far better team and lost: 2017 and 2018 to be more specific.

For whatever reason, James Franklin has struggled against that Spartan logo, so although the Nittany Lions are a much better team with a much better record, this matchup cannot be taken for granted.

Until they prove to be able to consistently beat the team from East Lansing, there will always be some concern amongst the Penn State Football fanbase when this matchup rolls around.