Whether they are ranked #2 or #3, or #4, the one thing I think we can agree on is that they are one of the top four teams in the nation right now. 

I think what may hurt them is that as usual, they play an atrocious out of conference schedule. If Ohio State had played Georgia Southern instead of Oklahoma, they'd be undefeated too. 

That said, Saquon Barkley has shown he can win a game essentially on his own. McSorely has been a surprise and the WRs and O-Line has been top notch all season. And statistically they're better than Ohio State defensively.

But, the line opened with Ohio St. favored 7.5 and has only gone down to 6.5 this week. And I can't make a case for why that line is wrong. So if I'm in Vegas this weekend and you held a gun to me head and told me I had to make a bet, I'd probably put my money on the Buckeyes. 

I'm excited for this weekend. This is a non-playoff game playoff game. The winner has the inside track to the Big 10 championship from the East and will solidify themselves as a CFB playoff team.

If the Buckeyes can figure out how to stop Barkley, than it's going to be a long day for the Nits. But if they can't, then Penn State can use him and their other weapons and get out of Columbus with a win.

 

Yea, even though they were ahead for virtually the entire game, you got the feeling that the Lions had a tiger by the tail, and once Ohio State stopped making mistakes, look out!
Congrats to OSU for a fine win.

As an aside, maybe I am showing my age, but I just don't like the Penn State offensive set up. Mcsorley and Saquon stand side by side, alone in the backfield, and Trace takes the snap and either he or Barkley get the ball.
Reminds me of the option, which I never liked.

Put Saquon in an I formation now and then with a fullback in front of him to throw a block.

Yea I know,,,,, I'm a ,,,,,,

Last edited by Goose (10/29/2017 6:18 am)

Tarnation wrote:

I've been following PSU more or less for over 4 decades, stretching back to when, in my teens, I would listen to Jim Tarman's play-by-play on a battery radio while harvesting black walnuts.

They have always been s strong defensive team, but the offense has lacked variety.  Same old, same old...utterly predictable which the savvy opponents have grasped and exploited.   You can't win on defense and turnovers alone.

One thing I have noted with pleasure is that this Penn State team takes advantage of their opponents mistakes. After that OSU fumble in the first quarter, the Lions made them pay by scoring a touchdown. A Paterno era team would surely have come away with a field goal, at most.