Another week, another road trip for Penn State football.

The Nittany Lions head to Minneapolis, Minnesota, to take on the Golden Gophers after last week’s road trip to Purdue when they beat the Boilermakers 49-10 in West Lafayette.

This week, Penn State will play in Minnesota for the first time since 2019 when the No. 17 Golden Gophers upset the No. 4 Nittany Lions 31-26 in Huntington Bank Stadium.

Minnesota will look to spoil Penn State’s season once again, but our staffers think an upset is unlikely.

Fernando Martinez Ruiz De Esparza (10-0): Penn State 27, Minnesota 17

Folks, this game will be a good test for the Nittany Lions.

I understand that Penn State looked very impressive in its blowout victory over Purdue last week. However, we can’t ignore that Purdue is a very poor team. It was a good thing James Franklin brought in the backups by the end of the third quarter to give his starters rest for this game.

The key for the Nittany Lions to win this game is to dominate Minnesota’s defense, which allows about 18 points per game and has helped Minnesota to stay in games even when the offense isn’t playing well. For that reason, Drew Allar and the entire offense need to play very well to get this win.

As for Minnesota, this team is not as bad as its record shows. Even though the Golden Gophers are 6-4, they have quality wins over USC and a ranked Illinois team. They have talented playmakers on their team, especially on defense, and are well-rested after having a bye last week.

The Golden Gophers will have the home-field advantage where cold weather can play a factor in determining the outcome and will be highly motivated to bounce back after a devastating loss against Rutgers two weeks ago. This game will not be an easy win for Penn State.

However, the Nittany Lions will get out of Minnesota with the win in the end due to their elite playmakers on offense, like Tyler Warren, and will be one win away from clinching their first College Football Playoff berth.

Jamie Lynch (9-1): Penn State 31, Minnesota 26

This matchup triggers some serious Penn State football PTSD. The last time the Nittany Lions were ranked No. 4 and traveled to Minnesota in November… Well, you can recall the rest. As much as people may deny it, this is a trap game for Penn State. All talk right now is on the College Football Playoff, with many speaking as if a Beaver Stadium game in December is a guarantee.

Folks, no playoff game is ever guaranteed.

Sure, there is a chance the Nittany Lions may blow the Golden Gophers out of the water on Saturday. They may walk into Minneapolis and drop 40 points on the seventh-best team in the Big Ten. But I’m hesitant to predict a scenario in which that occurs.

I do think the Nittany Lions will come out of this weekend with a win. I’m predicting it will be the same score as 2019, except Penn State comes out on top. College football is funny like that sometimes.

Just please, for the love of all things blue and white, feed Tyler Warren.

Cooper Cazares (9-0): Penn State 28, Minnesota 17

I think this Penn State team needs to find another weapon on offense to rely on. I’m banking on Trey Wallace to break out again this season, making this game extremely important for the Nittany Lions.

Beating Penn State means doubling Tyler Warren and then taking your chances with the other matchups. Until another weapon in the receiving game emerges, any top team in the country will rout the Nittany Lions in a playoff game, regardless of location.

I expect the Nittany Lions to find Wallace more this game, showing they can be dangerous with or without the focus being on the highly-rated Warren. This game is close for the first half, but Penn State pulls away late, just missing out on covering the 12.5-point spread.

Michael Siroty (8-0): Penn State 31, Minnesota 20

I’m a little nervous about this one, but also not at the same time. It’s a hard feeling to explain.

Minnesota is an underrated place to play, but Penn State is the better team. Aside from the environment, the Golden Gophers have a solid team that doesn’t allow many points but doesn’t stack up to the Nittany Lions. I see a slow first half coming for Penn State before it dials in and secures its 10th win of the year.

Nolan Wick (9-1): Penn State 34, Minnesota 20

This is a game Penn State should win, but it won’t be easy. Playing at Minnesota in November isn’t a joke, and Huntington Bank Stadium will be a raucous atmosphere because students aren’t on break yet.

The Nittany Lions need to stop the run and minimize turnovers. They seem to be doing a good job of blocking the outside noise surrounding the College Football Playoff hype, but Saturday will be a big test.

Drew Allar needs to remain efficient, and the defense must stay gritty. Those are very doable things we’ve seen happen repeatedly, so I’ve got Penn State pulling this one out.

CJ Doebler (9-1): Penn State 35, Minnesota 10

I think Penn State will end the away slate with a win in Minneapolis this Saturday. Minnesota’s defense has created 16 interceptions this year, but Drew Allar has routinely played against some of the better passing defenses in the league. This year, Allar has thrown five interceptions, with three of them coming against USC. I don’t think anything changes, and I think Allar’s decision-making ability will hurt the Minnesota defense.

Minnesota will be more of a test than Purdue was last week, but the Nittany Lions are primed to return home with a win.

Mitch Corcoran (10-0): Penn State 24, Minnesota 13

This is going to be excruciating to watch.

Both teams have good defenses and both offenses are just OK to bad. Penn State’s offense will struggle to push the ball downfield against Minnesota’s stout zone defense and the Golden Gophers will struggle to move the ball with the 122nd-ranked rushing offense, making them one-dimensional.

Expect a low-scoring Big Ten matchup. I think the better team (Penn State) ends up getting it together and scores two or three touchdowns for the win.

Joe Lister (9-1): Penn State 17, Minnesota 3

Just as Moby Dick destroyed the Pequod, so will Penn State destroy Minnesota on Saturday. PJ Fleck may be on a mission similar to Ahab in his quest to end Penn State’s playoff dreams, but he won’t succeed. Penn State will leave one Ishmael alive, a wide receiver it can snag in the transfer portal in a few months.

In real football terms, Penn State’s offense is better than Minnesota’s offense. The Golden Gophers might be solid on defense and have a solid chance of holding Penn State under 30 points, but they just won’t be able to score enough to make it matter.

Nittany Lions by a million (14).