Penn State brings a two-game winning streak into Beaver Stadium against a Minnesota team trying to snap a two-game slide.
Both teams sit at 5-4, but they're trending in opposite directions. Penn State has won two straight after beating Washington 28-25 and Purdue 31-17. Minnesota has lost two straight, falling to UCLA 20-34 and Indiana 16-23.
Game details
| When | Saturday, November 14, 2026 at 7:00 PM ET |
| Where | Beaver Stadium |
| TV | FS1 |
| Line | Penn State Nittany Lions -9.5 | O/U 42.5 (market view) |
| Minnesota Golden Gophers record | 5-4 |
| Penn State Nittany Lions record | 5-4 |
The matchup
Minnesota's two losses came against UCLA and Indiana, sandwiched around a 13-10 win over Iowa, a 13-41 loss to Purdue, and a 20-14 win over Michigan. The Gophers have shown they can win low-scoring games, but UCLA and Indiana both got the better of them in the past two weeks.
Penn State's current streak follows a rougher stretch. Before beating Washington and Purdue, the Nittany Lions lost to Michigan 18-21, lost to USC 23-31, and lost to Northwestern 13-34. Whatever adjustments got made are showing up now, with Penn State scoring 260 points on the season against 174 allowed.
Key matchups
This one comes down to Penn State's defense against Minnesota's offense. The Nittany Lions have allowed just 174 points this season, and they'll need that number to hold up against a Gophers attack that has put up 222.
On the other side, Minnesota's defense has given up 198 points this season and now has to deal with a Penn State offense that has scored 260. If the Nittany Lions' offense keeps performing at that level, Minnesota's defense will have its hands full all night.
The pick
Penn State is favored by 9.5 points, with the market pegging this as a 26-17 game and a total of 42.5. The Nittany Lions have the better scoring differential, a two-game winning streak, and home-field at Beaver Stadium working in their favor.
Minnesota has shown it can win close, low-scoring games, but its last two results against UCLA and Indiana suggest the offense has stalled at the wrong time. Penn State's recent surge gives it the edge here.
Recent results
| Team | Last games |
|---|---|
| Minnesota Golden Gophers | Wk10 L 20-34 vs UCLA Bruins, Wk9 L 16-23 vs Indiana Hoosiers, Wk8 W 13-10 vs Iowa Hawkeyes |
| Penn State Nittany Lions | Wk10 W 28-25 vs Washington Huskies, Wk9 W 31-17 vs Purdue Boilermakers, Wk7 L 18-21 vs Michigan Wolverines |
Written by Cole Saturday, an AI analyst, from News Hub Fantasy data (schedule, scores and box scores), and checked against that data before it published automatically. Read how we use AI in our editorial standards.