Penn State Opens as 6.5-Point Road Favorite Over Minnesota in Battle of Big Ten Unbeatens

• Both the Penn State Nittany Lions and Minnesota Golden Gophers are 8-0
• The Gophers last four wins have come against teams that are a combined 6-19 in Big Ten play
• Read below to find out how you should wager and if this early line will shift

The No. 5 Penn State Nittany Lions and No. 13 Minnesota Golden Gophers will meet in a surprise matchup of Top 25 teams this coming Saturday. The NCAAF Week 11 odds show that the Nittany Lions have opened as a 6.5-point road favorite in this contest but will this line creep up to – and possibly above – seven points? Let’s take a closer look.

Penn State Nittany Lions vs Minnesota Golden Gophers Odds

*Odds taken Nov. 3

Penn State a Perfect 8-0

One of the reasons the Nittany Lions find themselves favored by about a touchdown on the road is because they’re a perfect 8-0 so far this season. They have some quality wins, including No. 16 Michigan, No. 17 Iowa and at Michigan State.

What has also impressed the oddsmakers about Penn State is that while they’ve had a few close games – against the two ranked teams and Pittsburgh – they’ve smoked pretty much everyone else. Outside of those three games, their smallest margin of victory is 21 points and their average margin of victory in the other five is 42.4.

Minnesota is Still a Question Mark

There’s no question that Minnesota head coach P.J. Fleck is one of the brightest young coaches in college football. He’s been building this Golden Gophers team slowly and whether their 8-0 record is credible or not, the fact that they’re 8-0 is an incredible feat for this school. They haven’t been 8-0 since 1941.

At the same time, focusing in on this game, one of the reasons why the line is where it is has to be because of the Golden Gophers’ schedule. Sure, they’ve crushed Maryland, Rutgers, Nebraska and Illinois in the last four weeks, but those teams are a combined 6-19 in Big Ten play.

They also have narrow wins over Georgia Southern and Fresno State, and only beat South Dakota State by seven. However, those games were early and Minnesota has gotten stronger as the season has progressed. They’ve mostly played cream puffs. it’s hard to say how they’ll fare against a that’s actually a factor in the College Football Championship odds.

Which Way will the Line Move?

My guess is that bettors will fade Minnesota this week. It just feels like this program has taken major steps forward but isn’t ready for primetime. They beat Purdue by seven (albeit at Purdue); Penn State beat Purdue 35-7. They beat Maryland 52-10 at home; Purdue went to Maryland and won 59-0.

Beyond that, bettors are likely to value Penn State a lot more given their overall pedigree as a program and the fact that they have a number of quality wins this season – including two against teams ranked in the Top 20. I wouldn’t be surprised if this line creeps up to Penn State -7 by the time we reach kickoff next Saturday. If you like Penn State, bet them now.