← Matchups

Penn State

B1G · 2-0 · power +28.5 · #9
Our numberPSU -1.7 no book has priced this game

Michigan

B1G · 2-0 · power +22.1 · #24
Our side
MoneylinePSU to win ours 39%
Projected score 23–21 PSU – MICH
2026-10-17 · kickoff TBD Michigan Stadium · Ann Arbor, MI B1G game Early season

The books 1 account books · tap any price — the ticket builds at that book

Book PSU spreadMICH spread OverUnder PSU winMICH win PSU TT overPSU TT under MICH TT overMICH TT under
DraftKings

The gold price is the best available on that side; a gold marks the side our number implies — a read, not a pick. TT is a team total — that team’s own points, not the game’s; columns are empty where no book hangs one. Send to book opens whichever book you tapped, not the one we would have picked. Prices are the books’ own.

Series Michigan lead 17–10 · 27 meetings since 1993
2025 unit ranks — last completed season, from games actually played
Run game edge Penn State Nittany Lions 55 ranks
Penn State Nittany Lions #35 rush offense Michigan Wolverines #90 run defense
Pass game even 1 ranks apart
Penn State Nittany Lions #96 pass offense Michigan Wolverines #97 pass defense
Run game edge Michigan Wolverines 82 ranks
Michigan Wolverines #33 rush offense Penn State Nittany Lions #115 run defense
Pass game edge Penn State Nittany Lions 131 ranks
Michigan Wolverines #181 pass offense Penn State Nittany Lions #50 pass defense
Penn State Nittany Lions Run-heavy · 59% run Ball-control Michigan Wolverines Balanced · 58% run Ball-control
Terry Smith · 4-3 Sherrone Moore · 17-8

Ranked by team-unit strength (rush & pass offense vs. run & pass defense) across all 265 D1 teams, not by individual players. Identity, tempo and unit strength are measured from the 2025 season.

The evidence 2025 production and power ratings · supporting the number above

Who carried each team in 2025
Penn State Nittany Lions
TE Benjamin Brahmer 6 rec · 87 yds · 3 TD #4 TE
LB Tony Rojas 14 tkl · 1.0 sacks · 2.0 TFL #48 LB
WR Koby Howard 9 rec · 229 yds · 1 TD #71 WR
QB Rocco Becht 539 pass yds · 7 TD · 0 INT #30 QB
Michigan Wolverines
DL Dom Nichols 10 tkl · 2.0 sacks · 3.0 TFL #17 DL
DL John Henry Daley 11 tkl · 1.0 sacks · 3.0 TFL #45 DL
LB Troy Bowles 21 tkl · 2.0 TFL #74 LB
WR JJ Buchanan 8 rec · 174 yds · 1 TD #81 WR

Top-rated players from last season, ranked within their position across D1. A grade measures what a player produced, and no 2026 game has been played yet — so this is who produced for these programs in 2025, not a claim about who is on the field this year.

Power breakdown
TeamPowerOffDefRank
Penn State Nittany LionsB1G +28.5 +10.4 +18.1 #9
Michigan WolverinesB1G +22.1 +5.7 +16.4 #24

Def is higher = better. The projection assumes a 2.4-pt home edge (0 at neutral sites).

Where the number comes from
Penn State offense vs Michigan defense-6.0 pts
Michigan offense vs Penn State defense-12.4 pts
Rest · context onlyHome team on 7 more days rest

An efficiency adjustment from season-to-date EPA and success rate applies once teams have played enough games; before then it is 0 and the number is the power rating alone.

Situational spots are shown for context, not baked in: travel, altitude and rest were tested against 6,000+ games and the power and efficiency ratings already account for them. Adding them again would double-count.