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I think only the Penn State coaching staff and its historic conservative style of play on the road can hold this team back. If that does not happen, which many say won't this year, Penn State should win this game, 31-21.
Michigan Wolverines
Ahhh...a team that Penn State has not beat in over 10 years. Well, this HAS to be the year, right? New coach, new system, home game—everything is in Penn State’s favor.
At this point in the season we should know what to expect from this Michigan offense. Right now it is hard to say, but I don't expect this to be the high-powered offense Rich Rodriguez ran in West Virginia, at least not yet.
Steven Threet will be the starting quarterback and is a transfer from Georgia Tech who is seen more as a "pass first" QB with some mobility. Pass first is not really a Rodriguez style of offense.
The strong point of this team will be the seven returning starters on defense and a strong front seven. Michigan will rely on their defense this year to stay in games, as I don't see their offense providing much cushion at this point.
In the end, the streak should end and Penn State should find a way to win. If they can beat the spread vs. Illinois, Penn State should be able to handle the first year spread at Michigan. Given the magnitude of this game, what with a chance to finally get over the hump and beat Michigan, the crowd will be a big help in this 4:30 pm ET start game.
Again I see Daryl Clark leading this offense to a win, with a lot of help from the running game attacking the inexperienced Michigan linebacking corps. Penn State wins this game, 20-14.
@ Ohio State Buckeyes
Since joining the Big Ten in 1993, Penn State has not won in Columbus, and unfortunately all signs point to the same ol' story again. Ohio State returns one of its best teams in years. There seem to be no weaknesses on either side of the ball with 18 returning starters.
For Ohio State, the key game is @ USC on Sep. 6. It's hard to admit this, but I really want Ohio State to win that game for the sake of the Big Ten. On the off chance the Nittany Lions can pull off this upset, it will look that much better.
However, I also don't think this will be that easy of a game for Ohio State. These two teams play each other very tough, regardless of how good or bad a season each is having.
Penn State, as I have mentioned, does return a lot of starters and does have a great defensive and offensive line. This should keep Penn State in the game.
I think Ohio State will use Terrelle Pryor very effectively throughout the season, causing opposing defenses many problems by switching the style of play when he comes in, similar to what Florida did with Tebow in 2006.
In the end, I think Penn State's conservative coaching style on the road will come out in this game. I think Clark/Devlin will have some problems with this very experienced and strong Ohio State defense.
I don't think Ohio State can just check this game off as a win like many think, and I see this as a low-scoring defensive battle, as most PSU-OSU games are. Ohio State wins this one, 21-17.
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