Game of the Day:

- Penn State Nittany Lions at Michigan State Spartans

• Time/TV: 7:00 p.m. EST (ESPN2)

The Spartans finally snapped a four game losing streak with a visit Saturday from the Nebraska Cornhuskers and now get Penn State who sits just one game ahead in the standings.

Michigan State has been anything but consistent coming back from the pause due to COVID-19 issues. First up were two tough road games at Rutgers and Ohio State that saw MSU obliterated. Then a stunningly competitive offensive back-and-forth with the Iowa Hawkeyes in Iowa City made it seem like the Spartans were turning a corner possibly before an absolute clunker of a performance against Nebraska Saturday sent fans scurrying for the bomb shelters to hide from the ugly.

Penn State, meanwhile, enters this matchup 0-6 on the road. However, the Nittany Lions game now No. 4 Ohio State heck of a fight just two weeks ago in Columbus, losing just 83-79. Other road games have also seen the Nittany Lions fall by just two at Indiana and by eight at Purdue. Home wins of late also include a double-digit victory of Wisconsin. So Penn State is no slouch despite the poor road record.

However, the Spartans are still entering this matchup as favorites by 2.5 points. If there is any hope whatsoever of getting back into the bubble conversation with a run here in February, this game is an absolute must win for Michigan State. If the same Spartan teams shows up that played against Nebraska, it will be a great night to be a Nittany Lions fan.

• Pick: Penn State