Contact/Follow Brock Netter
Don’t make me laugh. Absolutely not.
Ohio State/TTUN is a rivalry because of the history. They owned Ohio State in the 80’s and 90’s. And now, we’ve owned them for 20 years. There’s at least some balance.
Watch what Penn State head coach James Franklin said about Ohio State ahead of the game Saturday https://t.co/exvbwgypVo
— Buckeyes Wire (@BuckeyesWire) November 19, 2019
But Ohio State/Penn State is not a rivalry. Who started this narrative? Probably Penn State, but nonetheless, this is a stretch. Let me throw some numbers out. Ohio State is 19-14 all-time against Penn State (with a vacated win accounted for). Not bad.
But since the Nittany Lions joined the Big Ten back in 1993, they are just 8-17 against Ohio State. The Buckeyes are 11-7 in Columbus, and 8-6 in Happy Valley all-time (Penn State won the 1980 Fiesta Bowl over Ohio State). The Nittany Lions can’t even control home field in the series.
Penn State is just like the Dallas Cowboys over the last 20 years. Loaded with talent, but always falling short of expectations. All you have to do is just be patient and wait for it to mess up. It never fails.
Dare we say, not quite elite?
The Nittany Lions are 4-13 in the last 17 games against Ohio State. Is Penn State still holding onto the luckiest play in Penn State history with that blocked field goal for a touchdown back in 2016? You better believe it.
When Penn State beats Ohio State three or four times in a row, then I’ll consider it a rivalry. Maybe the players do think it’s a rivalry, but nahh.
Side note: I still can’t believe that 4th and 5 play call last season. But hey, thanks James Franklin!
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