7:35 pm
September 17

#11 Michigan State @ Washington

Who will WIN this matchup?

#11 Michigan State Spartans (2-0)

@ Washington Huskies (2-0)

 

Current odds:

Michigan State Spartans: (+144)

Washington Huskies: (-179)

 

• The spread for this game is Washington by 3.5 points.

• Michael Penix Jr. has faced Michigan State before. The Washington quarterback will know what to expect when the Huskies play host to the No. 11 Spartans on Saturday in Seattle.

• Penix — who transferred from Indiana to Washington (2-0) to be reunited with coach Kalen DeBoer — led the Hoosiers to a 24-0 victory at East Lansing, Mich., in 2020. The left-hander nearly broke a Big Ten record with 20 consecutive completions in the loss, falling two shy.

• Penix has guided the Huskies to lopsided victories against Kent State (45-20) and Portland State (52-6), completing 46 of 66 passes for 682 yards and six touchdowns with one interception.

• The Spartans (2-0) opened the season with a pair of victories at home against Mid-American Conference teams in Western Michigan (35-13) and Akron (52-0).

• Last year, Michigan State used a nonconference victory at Miami as a springboard to an 11-2 season. Could a win at Washington do the same?

• Michigan State QB Payton Thorne — who threw a school-record 27 touchdown passes last season and had four more in this year’s opener — wasn’t at his best last week, when he was picked off twice and failed to throw a touchdown against the Zips.

• One intriguing subplot Saturday is that of MSU freshman receiver Germie Bernard, who caught a 44-yard touchdown pass in the season opener. Bernard signed with Washington in December. But after wide receiver coach Junior Adams left for Oregon, Bernard asked out of his national letter of intent and ended up at Michigan State.

4/10
Confidence
StreakSmarter Pick
#11 Michigan State Spartans
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