Minnesota may be coming off of its first Big Ten victory of the season, but the Golden Gophers are still one of the least liked teams in terms of the oddsmakers on the 2011 college football season. Until beating Iowa last week Minnesota had not even been competitive in a Big Ten Conference game, and as a result they are once again huge underdogs this week when they visit Michigan State. SB Nation's official odds partner Oddsshark has the Spartans as a 27.5 point favorite this week at home:
The Golden Gophers will try to spoil to the party on Saturday; they are 3-5 ATS against the number this season, while the Spartans are 5-3 ATS. Minnesota is 4-4 on the totals; Michigan State is 2-5.
A major factor in this game is the Legends Division crown. Michigan State stumbled last week at Nebraska, and they cannot afford a second loss if they are to keep pace with Michigan and the Cornhuskers.