Happy Black Friday, everyone!

Penn State football’s last regular season game is at 7:30 p.m. against Michigan State at Ford Field in Detroit, Michigan. The Nittany Lions enter the game fresh off a 27-6 win against Rutgers, while the Spartans are coming off a 24-21 victory over Indiana.

James Franklin’s team is favored heavily to win tonight. With that being said, our staffers are unanimously predicting that to happen.

Rico Gore (10-1): Penn State 38, Michigan State 10

The Land-Grant Trophy is back up for grabs, but this year, we all know where it is going to end up. Michigan State is having quite a rough year. Although Penn State did not meet fans’ expectations, I still expect Penn State to put a beat down on this Michigan State team.

Brady Miller (9-1): Penn State 34, Michigan State 13

The Nittany Lions will have their way with the Spartans. Michigan State has many internal issues this season, and interim head coach Harlon Barnett will not find a way to win this rivalry.

The Land-Grant Trophy stays in Happy Valley!

Aidan Conrad (7-2): Penn State 31, Michigan State 10

There shouldn’t be much trouble for Penn State handling business on Black Friday against the Spartans. The Land-Grant Trophy will be safe and sound in Happy Valley until 2025. The Nittany Lions will finish 10-2 again and set themselves up for a New Year’s Six bowl game.

Fernando Martinez (7-1): Penn State 30, Michigan State 10

I’m expecting the same ending to Penn State’s regular season as last year.

The Nittany Lions have a great opportunity to end their regular season on a good note and keep their hopes alive to be selected for a New Year’s Six bowl. The offense came alive in the second half of the Rutgers game when Drew Allar had to leave the game due to injury, and Beau Pribula came in to take over the offense. Even though he only threw the ball once, his running ability gave a spark to Penn State’s running game, which I think will carry over into this game. Even though we still don’t know who the starting quarterback for this game will be, I expect them to lean on the running game very often, and I think Kaytron Allen and Nick Singleton will have huge games.

As for Michigan State, the only way it can make this game competitive is if the offense plays incredibly well against Penn State’s elite defense, and I don’t see that happening. This team is 4-7 because the Spartans are not good offensively and don’t play well against good defenses. Additionally, they don’t have much motivation to win this game because they are bowl-ineligible due to their record, so I expect the Nittany Lions to get out of Detroit with the victory.

Cooper Cazares (6-2): Penn State 38, Michigan State 10

Penn State’s final bout of the season comes against a reeling Michigan State team that simply never recovered from losing its head coach mid-season.

This one shouldn’t be close, but the Nittany Lions’ gameplay may vary depending on who’s under center. With Drew Allar leaving the game early last week against Rutgers, Beau Pribula did well against the Scarlet Knights. I would imagine if Allar plays, the game plan stays the same: short to mid-range throws alternating with some run plays. With Pribula, however, the offense becomes one-dimensional in favor of the run, with occasional, high-percentage throws.

The defense of Penn State should be enough to keep this game from being close, while the offense takes a slow start and gradually builds on its lead throughout the game. Penn State covers the 21-point spread in Detroit.

Mitchell Corcoran (6-2): Penn State 31, Penn State 6

Michigan State has struggled all season, especially in Big Ten play as the Spartans are 2-6. I do not see this game being very competitive, and I think Penn State dominates from the jump. I also think the King brothers will ball out since they will be playing back in their hometown.

Nolan Wick (10-1): Penn State 42, Michigan State 0

What happened the last time after Penn State lost a game? It barely won the next, but then it dismantled its following opponent. I think the Nittany Lions are in an even better position this time around, as they blew past Rutgers and are facing a much weaker Michigan State team compared to Maryland. Penn State has proved the snowball effect is a thing of the past.

With that being said, Michigan State doesn’t have the talent on paper to keep up with Penn State right now. Even without a permanent offensive coordinator, the Nittany Lions played well last week and this Michigan State defense hasn’t done enough to indicate it will be a challenge. James Franklin’s team keeps the Land-Grant Trophy for another go-around to close out the regular season in a blowout that sends the Nittany Lions to a New Year’s Six bowl game.

CJ Doebler (9-2): Penn State 38, Michigan State 16

I think we see another Maryland-type showing from the Penn State offense on Saturday. The Nittany Lions handled bouncing back from a loss plus losing an offensive coordinator to perfection and are on a positive trend heading into the final contest of the season. James Franklin said that Drew Allar should be ready to go on Saturday, but even if he’s not, I think that Beau Pribula has what it takes to get Penn State past the Spartans to end on a positive note and look toward bowl season.

Keeley Lamm (9-2): Penn State 27, Michigan State 7

I’ll never bet against the Nittany Lions.