Wk 11 · 2026
Minnesota Golden Gophers at Penn State Nittany Lions — Sat, Nov 14
Sat, Nov 14 ·
Beaver Stadium, University Park, PA
Weather
No forecast yet. This one is 33 days away and has no kickoff time yet. Forecasts reach about 16 days ahead, so this fills in nearer the game. A seasonal average printed here would look exactly like a forecast, which is why there is not one.
Big Ten · 4-2
at
TBDET
no line posted yet
Ratings differential PSU by 10.5
Big Ten · 3-3
What is at stake
Governor's Victory Bell. A bell put up by the governors of Minnesota and Pennsylvania in 1993 to give Penn State's Big Ten arrival an instant rivalry — and it has produced more upsets than either state expected. They play for the Governor's Victory Bell. A Big Ten game — it counts in the standings that decide that league's championship game. Run the race.
What the ratings imply
The differential above is arithmetic on two published numbers:
The CFB King’s 2026 final efficiency ratings, plus
2.4 points of home field.
It is not a projection, a value, an edge or a lean, and nothing on this site
compares it with the betting line to tell you one is better. Until 2026
games are played it is last season’s measurement of two teams that have
changed.
Efficiency · 2026 ratings
Efficiency margin
Offense (pts/100)
Defense (pts/100)
Pace (plays/g)
Yards / play
Yards / play allowed
Opponent-adjusted ratings from The College
King's 2026 final numbers. Bars share a scale within each row, so
the two lengths are comparable; the brighter side is the better of the two, and a
longer bar is the better number — including the rows where a lower figure is the
good one. Pace is the exception: it is how fast a team plays, not how well, so
neither side is lit and a longer bar there means only more plays.
Team stats · 2026 per game
Points / game
Points allowed
Yards / game
Yards allowed
Pass yds allowed
Rush yds allowed
Turnovers / game
From completed 2026 box scores;
defensive yardage covers the regular season and conference championships.
Minnesota form
L 13-41at PURW 20-14vs MICHW 27-24at WASHW 41-7vs AKRL 13-38vs MSST
2026 season
Penn State form
L 23-31vs USCL 13-34at NUL 20-24vs WISW 55-13vs BUFW 27-9at TEM
2026 season
Minnesota this season
Straight up4-2 · 67% (6 games)
Against the spread4-2 · 67% (6 games)
Over / under3-3 · 50% (6 games)
Penn State this season
Straight up3-3 · 50% (6 games)
Against the spread2-4 · 33% (6 games)
Over / under3-3 · 50% (6 games)
Lines are captured from ESPN's board before kickoff and locked at kickoff, so an in-play price cannot overwrite the number a game is graded against.
Common opponents · 5
| Opponent | Minnesota | Penn State |
|---|---|---|
| Washington Big Ten | at W 27-24 preview | at Wk 10 · scheduled preview |
| Michigan Big Ten | vs W 20-14 preview | at Wk 7 · scheduled preview |
| Purdue Big Ten | at L 13-41 preview | vs Wk 9 · scheduled preview |
| Northwestern Big Ten | vs Wk 12 · scheduled preview | at L 13-34 preview |
| Wisconsin Big Ten | at Wk 13 · scheduled preview | vs L 20-24 preview |
Open these two in the
comparison tool for every shared and unshared opponent.
Series history · 2006–2026
Since 2006, Penn State leads 6–2 · Penn State has won the last 2
8 meetings
in 2006–2026 · average margin
5.8 points toward Penn State
| Yr | Date | Result | Site | Won |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 2024-11-23 | Penn State 26 — 25 Minnesota | at MINN | Penn State |
| 2022 | 2022-10-22 | Minnesota 17 — 45 Penn State | at PSU | Penn State |
| 2019 | 2019-11-09 | Penn State 26 — 31 Minnesota | at MINN | Minnesota |
| 2016 | 2016-10-01 | Minnesota 26 — 29 Penn State | at PSU | Penn State |
| 2013 | 2013-11-09 | Penn State 10 — 24 Minnesota | at MINN | Minnesota |
| 2010 | 2010-10-23 | Penn State 33 — 21 Minnesota | at MINN | Penn State |
| 2009 | 2009-10-17 | Minnesota 0 — 20 Penn State | at PSU | Penn State |
| 2006 | 2006-10-07 | Penn State 28 — 27 Minnesota | at MINN | Penn State |
Minnesota leaders 2026 regular season
| Passing | Drake Lindsey QB #5 | 105/157, 1087 YDS, 8 TD, 4 INT |
| Max Shikenjanski QB #6 | 3/3, 50 YDS | |
| Rushing | TJ Thomas RB #23 | 46 CAR, 307 YDS, 1 TD |
| Darius Taylor RB #1 | 57 CAR, 139 YDS, 4 TD | |
| Xavier Ford RB #9 | 17 CAR, 82 YDS, 1 TD | |
| Receiving | Noah Jennings WR #13 | 26 REC, 345 YDS, 1 TD |
| Javon Tracy WR #11 | 27 REC, 300 YDS, 1 TD | |
| Jalen Smith WR #8 | 12 REC, 121 YDS, 2 TD | |
| Darius Taylor RB #1 | 11 REC, 104 YDS, 1 TD |
Defense
| Tackles | Maverick Baranowski LB #6 | 34 |
| Kerry Brown DB #14 | 25 | |
| Zack Harden DB #4 | 25 | |
| Sacks | TJ Bush Jr. DL #3 | 4 |
| Karter Menz DL #11 | 3 | |
| Anthony Smith DL #0 | 1.5 | |
| Interceptions | Maverick Baranowski LB #6 | 1 |
| John Nestor DB #17 | 1 | |
| Zack Harden DB #4 | 1 |
Penn State leaders 2026 regular season
| Passing | Rocco Becht QB #3 | 83/134, 1108 YDS, 10 TD, 3 INT |
| Alex Manske QB #7 | 9/14, 102 YDS | |
| Rushing | James Peoples RB #1 | 45 CAR, 212 YDS, 2 TD |
| Carson Hansen RB #21 | 43 CAR, 199 YDS, 2 TD | |
| Quinton Martin Jr. RB #25 | 29 CAR, 158 YDS, 1 TD | |
| Receiving | Koby Howard WR #6 | 12 REC, 344 YDS, 2 TD |
| Chase Sowell WR #0 | 19 REC, 264 YDS, 2 TD | |
| Benjamin Brahmer TE #18 | 16 REC, 178 YDS, 3 TD | |
| Brett Eskildsen WR #4 | 15 REC, 128 YDS, 1 TD |
Defense
| Tackles | Tony Rojas LB #13 | 34 |
| Kooper Ebel LB #8 | 29 | |
| Cael Brezina LB #9 | 20 | |
| Sacks | Tony Rojas LB #13 | 3 |
| Kooper Ebel LB #8 | 1 | |
| Caleb Bacon LB #10 | 1 | |
| Interceptions | Tony Rojas LB #13 | 2 |
| Daryus Dixson CB #5 | 1 | |
| Josiah Zayas CB #17 | 1 |
These are regular-season totals for
the season named on each card — the players who led that team that year,
taken from ESPN's team leaders. That list is keyed to the season, not to today's
roster, so a leader who has since transferred or run out of eligibility still
appears against the year he earned it; the
roster
pages and the depth chart on each team page are where the current squad is.
A team switches to this season's numbers once it has played a game. The roster
pages count bowl games too, so a player's two lines can differ by a game.