Penn State vs. Michigan State

With Wisconsin and Penn State ranked sixth and seventh in the playoff rankings, there still remains a chance that two Big Ten teams make the final College Football Playoff.

If Penn State defeats Michigan State this weekend and Ohio State tops Michigan, Penn State would claim the conference’s East Division title and advance to the Big Ten Championship Game for the first time with a potential shot at the College Football Playoff.

“Our goals are to finish much like we’ve always tried to do, complete a circle, finish with a ‘W, ‘” Michigan State coach Mark Dantonio said. Penn State has looked sharp ever since upsetting Ohio State, but don’t count out the Spartans, a team with veterans who have won championships and big games before and will not go out quietly in their final game. “It’s not something we’ve had to go through”. “We can only control what we can control, and that’s Michigan State right now”.

There are individual goals at stake for the Spartans.

Both young stars average 5.6 yards per carry, only Ohio State’s Mark Weber averages more in the conference for backs with over 150 carries, and Barkley leads the Big Ten in rushing yards with 1,205. “I think nearly every one of those games have been the last game of the season, whether it’s been here or there”.

Outlook: Michigan State’s only Big Ten win was was a blowout of Rutgers two weeks back.

“You don’t want to be out there blubbering in front of 107,000 people in the stadium”, Franklin said.

Sure, they know that despite its 3-8 record, Michigan State is playing a better brand of football than it did during its winless October.

“As a freshman, I never thought that I’d be sitting here talking to you guys about what lies ahead”, senior defensive end Evan Schwan said.

A MI loss and a Penn State win would get the Lions to Indianapolis for a shot at the conference title. Also, I just don’t see the Big Ten getting left out of the playoff this year.

There are two and only two keys here, in my mind: stop L.J. Scott, and don’t let either Michigan State quarterback, Tyler O’Connor or Damien Terry, become a consistent running threat. Franklin has done a great job making sure the Lions remain focused on each week’s opponent, and I don’t expect that to change this week. “I think it will show up more in years to come, especially in the ’18 class”.

The total has gone over in five of Michigan State’s last six games against Penn State. They have a run game that is putting up 187 yards per contest, led by Saquon Barkley’s 1,205 yards and 14 touchdowns.

On the Ohio State side, J.T. Barrett wield a football shooting gatling gun of an arm, while MI has Jabrill Peppers and Jake Butt as…a literal red pepper and a butt. “But taking care of the next game is the only way we’ll be able to have that opportunity”. “Weve been buried in a bubble, ” he said, then joked, “I do talk to my wife on occasion.” Asked if he watched his former players in Monday nights National Football League game, he deadpanned, “I had no chance to watch. “I remember not talking as much on the field and now I’m talking all the time to Mike and communicating a lot”.

Rayman scored his team’s first seven points of the second and the Raiders cut Penn State’s lead to 36-33 when O’Brien drained a 3-pointer 4:37 into the second.