Published Oct 10, 2022
Penn State enters gameweek against Michigan as touchdown underdog
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Dylan Callaghan-Croley  •  Happy Valley Insider
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Coming off their bye week for the 2022 season, the No. 10, 5-0 Penn State Nittany Lions are a touchdown underdog to the No. 4 Michigan Wolverines for their matchup this upcoming Saturday.

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The Wolverines, 6-0 are coming off a 31-10 win over Indiana that was closer than the score indicated. The Wolverines were tied with the Hoosiers at 10-10 going into halftime and were leading 17-10 heading into the fourth quarter before two fourth-quarter touchdowns put the game away.

The last time we saw the Nittany Lions take the field, they had a surprisingly tough Big Ten battle, defeating Northwestern 17-7. Penn State may have the bye week and therefore the rest advantage heading into Saturday's game but that has not always resulted in wins for the Nittany Lions.

Since 2014, the Nittany Lions are just 7-5 in those situations. Jim Harbaugh and Michigan, don't seem to be phased by teams coming off byes or having more rest, as, since 2015, the Wolverines are 10-3 in those situations.

The over/under for Saturday's matchup between the two Big Ten East foes currently sits at 51.5. Through Penn State's first five games, each of their first three contests against Purdue, Ohio, and Auburn hit the over while their last two matchups against Central Michigan and Northwestern hit the under. The Wolverines, on the other hand, have had the under hit in five of their six contests.