Penn State survives a scare

Head coach Ryan Day was tired of losing to Michigan, so the Ohio State Buckeyes managed to bring a ton of talent back to Columbus, especially on defense. Stars like JT Tuimoloau and Jack Sawyer on the defensive line, Denzel Burke in the secondary, and wide receiver Emeka Egbuka all chose not to enter the NFL as possible middle-round picks, instead returning for a run at the national championship close . Then Day added via the transfer portal, bringing in Alabama superstar safety Caleb Downs and quarterback Will Howard as key additions, and somehow it still wasn’t enough against Oregon in Week 6.

In the Big Ten’s biggest game of the season, No. 2 Ohio State lost 32-31 to No. 3 Oregon at Autzen Stadium in Eugene. Day, who let the time fly by while Howard hoped for a chance to win the game, was thoroughly outwitted by Dan Lanning, who stole a possession with a surprise onside kick (perhaps intentionally or not), helped to run out the clock with an intentional two-man penalty. But Oregon, with Dillon Gabriel, who chose the Ducks over the Bucks and many others in his final year of college football, and Lanning’s dynamic group of wide receivers, torched Ohio State’s vaunted defense.

Still, Oregon narrowly escaped with a home win due to misdirection by Day and a lucky serve on a kickoff. In a neutral site contest, I would confidently bet on Ohio State because, even if the defense is exposed, the squad in Columbus is the most talented in the country. I have Ohio State at No. 1 this week and there’s nothing you can do to stop me.

As for Penn State, the Nittany Lions escaped with an overtime win in LA after head coach Lincoln Riley threw everything, including the kitchen sink, at Tom Allen’s defensive unit in the first half. Head coach James Franklin needed a historically great performance from his future All-American tight end Tyler Warren and some galactic ideas from his crazy offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki, but a win is a win and all but secures Penn State a spot in the 12-team College Football Playoff, even with a loss to Ohio State.

Elsewhere in the conference, Indiana had a bye, so the shakeup began behind the Hoosiers. Illinois was pushed into overtime by a putrid Purdue team in a 50-49 final, leaving the Fighting Illini as the relegated Illini in this week’s rankings. Iowa made a statement at home against Washington by doing the unthinkable and scoring 40 points. Kirk Ferentz is probably still nauseous because his body doesn’t know how to handle a stunning win and a functional offense.

The Hawkeyes made a big jump this week, but they aren’t the only movers. Wisconsin got off to a slow start to the season, but with veteran transfer quarterback Tyler Van Dyke out due to injury and running back Chez out to preserve eligibility, offensive coordinator Phil Longo has opened up the offense. Sophomore QB Braedyn Locke is hitting big balls down the field and a running back committee led by Tawee Walker has the Badgers looking very scary ahead of a matchup with Northwestern in Week 8 and a showdown with No. 3 Penn State at Camp Randall in Week 9 look .