Penn State Nittany Lions

Penn State Football: Nittany Lions Double-Digit Favorites Over Michigan State

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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Penn State enters the last week of the regular season as a home favorite against the Michigan State Spartans. 

After a dominating win at Rutgers Saturday, Penn State enters the final regular season game of the year with a seven-game winning streak. The Nittany Lions have a real shot at a birth in the Big Ten Championship. Things have to fall correctly, and it all starts this week with defeating Michigan State.

The Spartans entered this season with high hopes and looked to be rolling after a Week 2 win over Notre Dame. However, seven straight losses all but ended the season for Michigan State. Their only conference win came against lowly Rutgers, yet the Spartans played well last week and lost by just a point to No. 2 Ohio State.

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Penn State hasn’t lost at Beaver Stadium this season and will look to keep that going this week. With the way the Nittany Lions have looked recently, it’s no surprise that they are favored at home against the Spartans.

Oddsmakers in Vegas opened the line with the Nittany Lions as 13.5-point favorites.

Although quarterback Trace McSorley and running back Saquon Barkley have put up good numbers, it’s the Penn State defense that’s been a big key in the current win streak. After starting as one of the worst units in the nation, the Nittany Lions have been dominant on that side of the ball.

The return of both starting linebackers, Jason Cabinda and Brandon Bell, has helped to spark a defense that has given opponents fits lately.

The biggest question mark at this point in time for the Nittany Lions is on the offensive line. The guys up front have improved a great deal this season, but recent injuries have made things more difficult. Although it’s a sort of patchwork squad now, offensive line coach Matt Limegrover has done a nice job keeping everything together.

Michigan State has improved on defense and could be a tough challenge this week. On offense, the Spartans have gone over 200 yards rushing in each of the last two games.

It won’t be easy, but Penn State will look to win it’s eighth straight game and march to the postseason.

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