No. 4 Penn State football (8-0, 5-0 Big Ten) will get its first chance to prove it belongs in the College Football Playoff’s top four with a huge matchup against No. 17 Minnesota (8-0, 5-0 Big Ten) on Saturday.

Both of these undefeated squads are coming off bye weeks and are trying to hold their spots as the top dog in their respective Big Ten divisions. This will be the third game against a ranked opponent for James Franklin’s squad in 2019, while the Golden Gophers have yet to face a team in the top 25.

We’ve got you covered for yet another huge road test for the Nittany Lions.

Television

Saturday’s game will kick off at noon (11 a.m. central time) and be broadcast on ABC. Sean McDonough, Todd Blackledge, and Holly Rowe will be on the call.

Radio

Penn State Sports Network — Steve Jones, Jack Ham, and Matt McGloin
Local: 93.7 FM/1450 AM, Sirius: Ch. 132, XM: Ch. 196

Weather

It’s going to be a chilly morning in Minneapolis. Temperatures will be in the high-30s at kickoff and will hover there throughout the game. Wind gusts are expected to be as high as eight miles per hour, and there is a 51% chance of precipitation at kickoff, according to AccuWeather.

Last Meeting

Penn State last took on Minnesota in 2016 at Beaver Stadium. The Nittany Lions won 29-26 thanks to a clutch drive led by Trace McSorley that sent the game to overtime, and a Saquon Barkley touchdown to seal the victory. The win launched the then-2-2 Nittany Lions on a nine-game win streak that included a huge upset over Ohio State and a Big Ten Championship, and many consider it the start of Penn State’s return to national prominence.

The Golden Gophers last defeated the Nittany Lions in 2013, but Penn State leads the all-time series 9-5.

Injuries/Suspensions

Noah Cain and John Reid but got banged up in Penn State’s victory over Michigan State, but they are both expected to play Saturday.

As for who won’t play, Antonio Shelton won’t play due to a suspenion for allegedly spitting at a Michigan State player on October 26. Wide receiver Cam Sullivan-Brown hasn’t played in the Nittany Lions past two games for an unspecified injury, so his status is unknown.

Offensive lineman Juice Scruggs also won’t play as he continues to recover from an injury suffered in a car accident during the offseason.

Betting Lines

Penn State opened as 6.5-point favorites over the Golden Gophers, and it’s still favored by that margin on Oddsshark. The over-under for the contest is set at 47.5 points.

The Nittany Lions covered the spread in their last game against Michigan State as five-point favorites, but failed to cover the nine-point gap against Jim Harbaugh’s squad the previous week. Penn State is currently 5-3 against the spread this season.

Media Coverage

Onward State will have you covered throughout today’s game. You can find big plays, photos, analysis, and more on our main @OnwardState Twitter account and Facebook page, and we’ll also provide play-by-play commentary from @OnwardStSports on Twitter.

Sports editors Mikey Mandarino (@Mikey_Mandarino) and Will Pegler (@gritdude) will have you covered throughout Saturday’s game.

Onward State

• Staff Predictions
• Previewing The Enemy
• Penn State football makes most of second bye week
• Looking back at Penn State’s 1999 loss to Minnesota
• Penn State ranked No. 4 in first College Football Playoff rankings of 2019 season
• Penn State football has completely bought into 1-0 mentality
• Everything stronger than Minnesota’s schedule
• The official Penn State-Minnesota drinking game
• Joe Jonas, Sophie Turner shout out Penn State football