It's Penn State-Michigan State week: Time, TV channel, early storylines, and more

The final week of the regular season is here, Penn State fans. It is Land Grant Trophy week. The Nittany Lions welcome Michigan State this Saturday with the hideous honor and a 10-win season on the line.

Head coach James Franklin’s team is 9-2 after topping Rutgers 55-10 in its final Big Ten road game of the year back on Saturday at SHI Stadium.

“Probably the thing I’m most proud of, with the staff and the players is, as you guys know, we don’t report injuries, but we’ve had a lot of moving parts,” Franklin said. “The coaches have handled it the right way, and not allowed it to become an excuse. The players have handled it the right way. I also think we have some depth, and we got some young talented players that have been able to come in and step in and allow that to not be an issue for us as well.

“So you know, I’m proud of them, but overall good when on the road. You look at college football, and you know, winning is hard to do. We’re fortunate to be one of those this week.”

Get ready for game week with our early preview below.

Time and TV info

Penn State will be on FOX Sports One for the first time this season. The Lions and Spartans meet at 4 p.m. ET on the network. A broadcast crew was not yet known as of early Monday morning.

What is the Penn State-Michigan State spread?

The Lions are an 18.5-point favorite.

Game week schedule for Penn State

Things will be adjusted this week because of the Thanksgiving holiday. Head coach James Franklin is still expected to hold his weekly 12:30 p.m. news conference. But, the Penn State Coaches Show will likely be moved from its usual Thursday spot up to Tuesday night.

On Wednesday, the leader of the Lions will meet with reporters after practice, per the usual. And, players should be on ZOOM calls with media members on at least one of the days, as well.

Penn State will likely practice very early Thursday so players who live within driving distance of State College can spend the holiday with their families before reporting back to campus for a Friday walkthrough.

What’s up with Michigan State?

The Spartans are undoubtedly demoralized after blowing a 17-point lead, missing a game-winning field goal at the end of regulation, and ultimately losing to Indiana 39-31 in double overtime on Saturday.

“Obviously very disappointed not being able to close this game out,” Michigan State head coach Mel Tucker said. “We got outplayed in the second half. You can point to any aspect of the team – offense, defense, special teams – where we had opportunities to execute, and didn’t do them for 60 minutes. We had the opportunity to win the game and weren’t able to get it done, so, very, very disappointed, especially for our seniors’ last game in the Woodshed.

“We have one game left, and I know our guys are going to show up to practice ready and prepared for the last opportunity. But, certainly a very disappointed locker room. We’re sick about it”.

Disappointment has been the name of the game for MSU this season. After a strong 2021 season, the Spartans are now 5-6 and must beat Penn State to make a bowl game. Quarterback Payton Thorne has been inconsistent. Running back Jalen Berger has only 669 rushing yards. And, the defense is one of the worst units in the Big Ten.

Weather report

The early weather report calls for a precipitation free day. But, wind will likely be a factor again. Weather.com writes: “Mainly cloudy. High around 40F. Winds W at 10 to 20 mph.” Temps should dip into the 30s by the fourth quarter.

Early Penn State-Michigan State storylines

–What Michigan State team will show up? One that is motivated to pull off a massive upset and make a bowl game? Or, will the Spartans be ready to pack it in after blowing a big lead and thus get blown out in State College?

–Will any of Penn State’s injured starters — Joey Porter Jr., Olu Fashanu, and Parker Washington — return? It feels unlikely.

–Is Sean Clifford going to receive a warm Senior Day welcome? And, speaking of that, how many players with eligibility remaining will be honored during the pregame festivities?

–Can the Lions close out November with another double-digit win? It’s been a great month so far, and this could be the icing on the figurative cake.