No. 9 Penn State (8-1) will try to keep its College Football Playoff hopes alive when it hosts No. 3 Michigan (9-0) in a pivotal Big Ten matchup on Saturday afternoon. The Nittany Lions have responded from their 20-12 loss to Ohio State with wins over Indiana and Maryland. They came up well short against Michigan last year, as the Wolverines rolled to a 41-17 victory. There are distractions swirling around Michigan's program right now, as head coach Jim Harbaugh was dealt a three-game suspension by the Big Ten due to the NCAA's ongoing investigation into a sign-stealing scandal.
Kickoff is set for noon ET on Saturday at Beaver Stadium. The Wolverines are favored by 4.5 points in the latest Penn State vs. Michigan odds, while the over/under is set at 45 points, per SportsLine consensus. Before making any Michigan vs. Penn State picks or bets, be sure to check out the college football predictions and betting advice from SportsLine football expert Jimmie Kaylor.
Kaylor is a NFL, college football and DFS expert for SportsLine, who has covered the NFL and college football for close to a decade as a member of the Pro Football Writers of America. His background as a former college football All-American and NFL player gives him a unique perspective when building his fantasy lineups and locking in his betting picks. He has his finger on the pulse of the college football landscape and has been cashing in big for the last two years.
Kaylor has been red-hot all season, going 51-22-2 on his college football best bets for SportsLine this season so far. Anyone who has followed his picks is way up.
Now, he has set his sights on Michigan vs. Penn State and just locked in his picks and CFB predictions. You can head to SportsLine now to see Kaylor's picks. Here are several college football odds and betting lines for Penn State vs. Michigan:
- Penn State vs. Michigan spread: Michigan -4.5
- Penn State vs. Michigan over/under: 45
- Penn State vs. Michigan money line: Michigan -208, Penn State +171
- MICH: The Wolverines are 4-4-1 against the spread in 2023.
- PSU: The Nittany Lions are 6-2 against the spread in 2023.
- Penn State vs. Michigan picks: See picks at SportsLine
- Penn State vs. Michigan live stream: fubo (try for free)
Why Michigan can cover
Penn State head coach James Franklin has struggled against elite competition. He's 3-16 against top-10 teams during his Penn State tenure, and those big-game issues cropped back up when the Nittany Lions fell to Ohio State earlier this season. Franklin is also a combined 4-15 against Ohio State and Michigan, so history is largely on the side of the Wolverines in that regard.
Michigan failed to cover in its first four games, but the Wolverines have found a different gear since then. The Wolverines are 4-1 ATS since Sept. 30 and barely missed covering the 31-point spread last week against Purdue. Both quarterbacks in this matchup have impressive numbers, but Michigan's JJ McCarthy has more big-game experience. Penn State's Drew Allar struggled in the loss against Ohio State, completing just 42.9% of his passes. See which team to pick at SportsLine.
Why Penn State can cover
Michigan has managed to overcome potential distractions thus far, but it has not faced a ranked team. The Wolverines are now having to face a top-10 team in one of the most hostile environments in college football, where the Nittany Lions are riding a seven-game home winning streak. Their most recent win came on the road, as Penn State cruised to a 51-15 blowout at Maryland, despite entering that game as a single-digit favorite.
Allar completed 25 of 34 passes for 240 yards and four touchdowns, while sophomore running back Kaytron Allen had 91 rushing yards and a score. The Nittany Lions continue to cash tickets for their backers, covering the spread at a 13-2-1 clip in their last 16 games. They are primed to take advantage of a distracted Michigan team on Saturday afternoon, especially with Harbaugh suspended again. See which team to back at SportsLine.
How to make Penn State vs. Michigan picks
Kaylor has analyzed this matchup from every angle and he's leaning Under on the point total. He has also discovered a critical X-factor that has him jumping all over one side of the spread. He's only sharing what it is, and which side to back, at SportsLine.
Who wins Penn State vs. Michigan on Saturday, and which critical X-factor makes one side of the spread a must-back? Visit SportsLine now to see Michigan vs. Penn State picks, all from the expert who has covered college football for over a decade and is 51-22-2 on his best bets in 2023, and find out.
