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There's a big one brewing in Ann Arbor this Saturday, as No. 10 Penn State travels to take on No. 5 Michigan in one of two battles of top-10 opponents on the Week 7 college football schedule, the other being no. 3 Alabama at No. 6 Tennessee. But the nation's eyes, will not be in Knoxville at noon EST, rather they will be firmly fixed on The Big House, where a 6-0 Wolverines team and a 5-0 Nittany Lions squad both look to stamp their mark on this year's College Football Playoff discussion. We're just over three weeks from the first rankings released by the CFP committee, so now's as good a time as ever to make your claim to one of the four spots available.
Now we're going to look specifically at Penn State's perspective on this huge college football game, so here are three bold predictions for Penn State's road trip to Michigan in Week 7.
3. Sean Clifford announces himself to the country with a big game
Sean Clifford has long been just outside the club of the top passers in the country, and what better time to crash the party than a road game at the biggest stadium in the country against an undefeated Michigan? Expect a confident Clifford to command the Nittany Lions' offense like he has all season, with a calm presence that we've already seen in a hostile environment back in Week 1 at Purdue.
Penn State is going to need a big performance from Clifford if they want to win, and I'm predicting that they get it from their senior quarterback.
2. Blake Corum under 100 yards rushing
One of the breakout stars of the Michigan squad this year has been junior running back Blake Corum, who has already blown past defenses for 735 yards and 11 touchdowns. But this will be easily the best run defense he has faced thus far, as Penn State currently ranks fifth in the country with opponents running for just 79.8 yards per game.
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It's also true that Penn State hasn't faced a running back as talented as Corum thus far. But with Corum being Michigan's biggest weapon, expect extra attention from the Nittany Lions being placed on the running back, holding him under 100 yards for the first time since Week 3 when he only ran the ball a total of 12 times.
This doesn't mean that Michigan will be unable to move the ball, as sophomore quarterback JJ McCarthy has also had a big start to the year and can win a game with his arm. But removing Corum from the equation for even just a few drives will help Penn State's defense get off the field quicker, allowing the offense plenty of opportunity to score points.
1. Penn State football gets a big win in a close game
Aside from 2020, which is an asterisk for obvious reasons, the last time Penn State won in Ann Arbor was 2009. In fact, even counting 2020 the Nittany Lions have only beaten Michigan on the road a total of four times, and it has also been a while since Penn State got a win over a top-five team on the road. That game? 1994 away at No. 5 Michigan, with Penn State 5-0 coming off a bye. Sound familiar?
James Franklin has had highs and lows in his time at Penn State, but a win this Saturday would be among the biggest of his tenure and would make the next two weeks at home against Minnesota and Ohio State even more important. Expect a very close game, perhaps decided by four points or fewer, but I'm predicting a Penn State football victory.
