Penn State is back in Happy Valley safe and sound after surviving an upset bid from Minnesota on Saturday.
When looking at what took place around the rest of the country, the Nittany Lions will be more than happy to come away from that game with a victory after seven top 25 teams lost and likely ended their College Football Playoff dreams.
The same can’t be said for Penn State.
By coming out of Minnesota with a hard-fought win, they have likely locked up their spot in the CFP for the first time under James Franklin, something that was the goal coming into the year with them being direct beneficiaries of the new format.
But, on Saturday, the Nittany Lions could also be playing for a spot in the Big Ten championship game against Oregon based on the results that take place during “The Game” in the annual matchup between Michigan and Ohio State.
With the Buckeyes beating Indiana this past Saturday, they are now in a “win and in” situation this upcoming weekend if they can beat the Wolverines.
If they can’t, then it will be Penn State who travels to Indianapolis to compete for their first conference championship since 2016.
For that to happen, the Nittany Lions will need the Wolverines to show up in a major way on Saturday. Ohio State is certainly going to be motivated to win this one since they haven’t won “The Game” in three tries, snapping their streak of eight victories that was the most consecutive wins in this series since the early-1900s.
Michigan is having a down season, too, giving Ohio State a good chance to get back into the winner’s circle.
All of that is to say Penn State is a longshot to be playing for the Big Ten title this year, something that many people think might actually benefit the Nittany Lions when it comes to their national championship hopes.
Still, it’s the goal of every program to win their conference title, so barring a special performance by Michigan to knock off Ohio State, it will be at least another season before Penn State is playing for the trophy.