One of the most historic and prestigious college football programs is having a rough season. The Penn State Nittany Lions are facing a sub .500 record (0-4 in Big Ten play), with their toughest stretch ahead, as they prepare to face the number one and two ranked teams, the Ohio State Buckeyes and the Indiana Hoosiers, these next two weeks. In addition, they haven’t won a national championship in nearly forty years, and fans around the country are starting to become restless. With long-time Head Coach James Franklin out of the picture, Penn State has an opportunity to pivot in a new direction.
This opportunity for a culture change begins this Saturday as Penn State travels to Columbus to take on the number-one Buckeyes. One of the main criticism’s surrounding former coach Franklin was his atrocious record against top-ranked teams; including the 2025 season, Franklin was 4-21 against top-ten teams and 1-14 against top five teams. These numbers are the main reason Penn State struggled to make noise in the College Football Playoffs during his tenure. Even though Penn State is out of contention for the playoffs this season, they still have an opportunity to upset the best team in the country, and possibly deliver Nittany Lion nation with one of their biggest wins in over a decade.
This is, however, easier said than done. To say Ohio State is the best team in the country would be, to be quite honest, an understatement. The Buckeyes have dominated nearly every opponent they faced, including an early season victory against Texas and a 34-0 victory against Wisconsin two weeks ago. Sophomore quarterback Julian Sayin has been unbelievable, throwing for 19 touchdowns and just three interceptions. The Buckeyes defense has arguably been the best in the country, allowing just six points per game. To make things even more difficult for Penn State, they will be without their starting quarterback, Drew Allar, once again as he suffered a season-ending injury early in the season. With four losses in a row, the Nittany Lions are badly wounded, and need all hands on deck to pull off the upset of the year.
Despite the odds not being in their favor, Penn State does have a chance in this game. Penn State needs to rely on the rushing attack, not for explosive plays, but rather to control the tempo of the football game. The goal for the Nittany Lions needs to be a time of possession; the longer they keep the Buckeye defense out there, the more tired the defense becomes. If Penn State is going to win this game, the scoring will be incredibly low. The second this game shows any signs of being an offensive shootout, the Nittany Lions could be written off, as they might not have enough fire power to keep up.
Overall, the path forward is steep, but not impossible. The Nittany Lions are a team still searching for identity in conference play, and a strong finish would set the tone not only for this year, but for the following years as well.
