For the second striaght season, Penn State is 5-0 heading into a top 10 matchup on the road in Big Ten play. Last year saw Penn State’s undefeated season come to a screeching halt in a road loss at Iowa. The season unraveled from there for the Nittany Lions. And here we are again at a critical point in the season where Penn State hopes to keep things afloat after another 5-0 start.
Penn State is once again on the road after their 5-0 start, and they will face their biggest challenge yet this season as they take on the defending Big Ten champions, the Michigan Wolverines. Historically speaking, this is not a game that has treated Penn State particularly well. Penn State has won just four of their 12 all-time games played in Michigan Stadium, although they did win their last time there in 2020. But Michigan has become a far better program since that 2020 trip during the pandemic-modified season. And when Michigan is the higher-ranked team in the series, regardless of location, Penn State is just 2-8.
But those are just historical trends, and they may be meaningless for this week’s matchup. Penn State will be an underdog in the game, which marks the first time this season the Nittany Lions have been labeled the underdog.
Penn State’s road game at Michigan kicks off this season’s three-game stretch that can make or break the entire outlook for this season. Penn State visits Michigan this week, hosts Minnesota for the whiteout next week, and then hosts Ohio State in Week 9 to close out the month of October. This three-game stretch has the power to see Penn State’s season take flight to incredibly lofty expectations of a Big Ten championship run and a potential debut in the College Football Playoff or implode right before our eyes with a season lucky enough to save face in the Music City Bowl.
This week’s game will set the tone for what happens next for the Nittany Lions. Head coach James Franklin is a champion of focusing on merely going 1-0 each week, but you and I can look a little more at the bigger picture here. If Penn State manages to go 2-1 in their next three games, then you can practically book a ticket to the Orange Bowl at the very least, and perhaps realistically think about making a visit to the Rose Bowl. If Penn State goes 1-2, the Orange Bowl still likely remains in the cards given how the season is unfolding, unless Penn State gets blown off the field in those two losses.
Picking up a win at Michigan can be a massive swing for Penn State. It would send Penn State home for the whiteout game against Minnesota with a clean undefeated record intact and raise the energy level for the primetime whiteout game. And that could set the stage for the big home game against Ohio State the following week. But struggle in Ann Arbor and the optimistic outlook will look a tad less promising in the following weeks.
Penn State has a golden opportunity to elevate itself into the College Football Playoff discussion. Right now, they are merely considered a wild card team on the radar with Ohio State firmly in the picture and Michigan knocking on the door. Penn State is still at the curb passing by as an onlooker.
So the stage is set for Penn State to prove themselves on the field. A massive three-game stretch starts on the road against the defending Big Ten champions, the No. 4 team in the country. Win this one, and everything changes in a hurry for Penn State.
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