The Land-Grant Trophy is on the line this week, folks.

After coming agonizingly short of upsetting No. 2 Indiana, Penn State football will head to East Lansing, Michigan, to take on Michigan State at 3:30 p.m. on Saturday, November 22, with the greatest trophy in college sports on the line.

For the first time in the Terry Smith era, the Nittany Lions are the favorites heading into a game. The opening line against Michigan State has been set at -7.5 points in the Nittany Lions’ favor, with the over/under listed at 49.5 points, according to DraftKings.

The moneyline favors Penn State at -290, with Michigan State sitting at +235. Despite both teams’ 3-6 record, this game has some implications. The winner will keep their bowl game hopes alive, while the loser will be eliminated from bowl contention through a .500 record.

Despite last week’s loss, the Nittany Lions covered the spread for the second time this season and the first time at home. They are now 2-7 against the spread and have to win their final three games of the regular season to avoid missing a bowl game for the first time since 2020, when they opted out.

Penn State comes into this game with a lot of momentum despite losing six games in a row. It came a first down and a defensive stop away from pulling off the upset last week, and this team has been playing with a lot of effort and grit since Terry Smith took over as head coach.

As for Michigan State, it is 5-4 against the spread this season. Despite its 3-6 record, the Spartans are 5-1 against the spread in their last six games, according to OddsShark.

Just like the Nittany Lions, they have lost six games in a row after starting the season 3-0 and are winless in Big Ten play. The Spartans have lost four of their last five games against the Nittany Lions.