Big Ten: Penn State vs Minnesota 10/22/22 College Football Picks, Predictions, Odds

The Penn State Nittany Lions and Minnesota Golden Gophers meet Saturday in week 8 Big Ten college football action from Beaver Stadium. Minnesota played Illinois in their last outing. In that one, the Gophers lost by 12 points. As for Penn State, they took on Michigan last weekend. The Lions went on to fall in a blowout. Check back all season long for free college football picks at Sports Chat Place.

Minnesota opened up the year with a nice four-game winning streak. The victories came 38-0 over New Mexico State, 62-10 versus Western Illinois, 49-7 over Colorado and 34-7 against Michigan State. Game five was a 20-10 loss to Purdue, however. 

In the Illinois game, Minnesota was down 13-7 at the break. The Gophers gave up points in every quarter and eventually lost 26-14. Quarterbacks Tanner Morgan and Athan Kaliakmanis combined for just 38 pass yards and three interceptions. 

Over on the Penn State side, their year began with a 35-31 win over Purdue and a 46-10 blowout win over Ohio. The Nittany Lions continued to roll with a 41-12 win over Auburn, a 33-14 win over Central Michigan and a 17-7 victory versus Northwestern. 

Matched up against Michigan, Penn State had a slim 16-14 deficit at halftime. The Nittany Lions were outscored 25-3 from there and stumbled to a 41-17 blowout loss. QB Sean Clifford managed 120 yards passing and also led the rush with 74 yards on six totes. 

The Gophers are 8-2 ATS in their last 10 road games ad 7-2 ATS in their last nine overall. Minnesota is 6-2 ATS versus a team with a winning record. 

Meanwhile, the Lions are 6-20-2 ATS in their last 28 after a straight-up loss and 1-4 ATS in their last five in October. The under is 6-1 in Penn State’s last seven at home. 

PICK: I’m probably sticking with Penn State, but staying away. Both these squads are coming off rough losses versus tough teams. The Nittany Lions had just 10 first downs, 268 total yards and a 4-of-12 rate on third-down tries. Penn State held the ball for just 18:04 as well, but the team should rebound against a more comparable opponent in this one. 

As for the Gophers, they were drilled for just 180 total yards, three picks, 12 first downs and a 2-of-7 rate on third-down tries versus Illinois. Minnesota should play better in this one as well but cover-wise it’s probably Penn State’s advantage.