No. 3 Penn State (6-0, 3-0 Big Ten) will face off against Wisconsin (5-2, 3-1) on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. ET, broadcasted on NBC.
According to BetMGM, Penn State is favored by 6 ½ points in this matchup.
Historically, Penn State leads the series with an 11-9 advantage.
This game holds significant importance for both teams.
Penn State is looking to achieve its first 7-0 start since 2019, when they managed to secure their initial eight wins and finished the season 11-2.
On the other hand, Wisconsin is aiming to defeat a top-five team for the first time since their 31-18 win against then-No. 1 Ohio State in 2010.
Additionally, Wisconsin hasn’t triumphed over Penn State since 2011, and the Nittany Lions have emerged victorious in their last five encounters.
One key matchup to observe will be the Wisconsin offensive line against the Penn State defensive line.
Wisconsin’s starting offensive line consists of Jack Nelson, Joe Huber, Jake Renfro, Joe Brunner, and Riley Mahlman, bringing together a total of 138 combined starts.
This unit has allowed just three sacks and has helped accumulate 736 rushing yards as part of Wisconsin’s recent three-game winning streak.
For Penn State, their defensive force is led by Abdul Carter, who has recorded four sacks and 9 ½ tackles for loss.
Notably, Penn State ranks sixth in the nation for yards allowed per game at 262.5 and 12th for yards allowed per play at 4.51.
As for notable players, Penn State’s tight end Tyler Warren recently earned first-team recognition on the Associated Press midseason All-America team.
In his last performance, Warren had an impressive 17 receptions—tying a Football Bowl Subdivision record for tight ends— accumulating 224 yards and scoring a touchdown as Penn State completed a thrilling 33-30 overtime victory against Southern California.
Meanwhile, Wisconsin’s running back Tawee Walker has shined with 418 rushing yards and six touchdowns throughout the Badgers’ winning streak.
Walker currently leads all Big Ten players with eight rushing touchdowns in conference matchups.
A few facts to note include that this marks the second consecutive season where Penn State has won its first six games.
Following back-to-back defeats to No. 15 Alabama and Southern California, Wisconsin has notably beaten its last three opponents with a staggering score differential of 117-16.
Impressively, the Badgers have permitted only one touchdown in their last three games.
Drew Allar of Penn State is the only FBS quarterback since 1956 to achieve over 500 pass attempts with more than 40 touchdown passes while allowing six or fewer interceptions in his career.
Lastly, Wisconsin has a solid track record at Camp Randall Stadium, winning 10 of their last 11 night games there, though they struggle against ranked teams, holding a mere 2-13 record in their last 15 contests against Top 25 opponents, including an 0-4 record during Luke Fickell’s coaching period.