Tag: 2024 Big Ten Championship Game

Top 10 moments from Penn State’s 2024 season: Penn State plays for Big Ten championship (No. 3)

Penn State’s Big Ten championship game appearance was among the top highlights of the 2024 season.

With Penn State’s football season now officially in the books, now is a good time to start putting the whole season into perspective. Although the season ended with the Nittany Lions coming up just short of playing for a national championship, there were a lot of good moments to reflect on positively from the 2024 season that ended with a final record of 13-3. The shortcomings are well documented, but the highlights of the year should not be forgotten.

Going into the 2024 season opened the door to a brand new Big Ten and a new approach to how the championship game matchup would be determined. With the addition of four new schools with Oregon, UCLA, SUC, and Washington all coming over from the crumbling Pac-12, the Big Ten had a football membership of 18 members. That led to a removal of a divisional format and meant the top two teams in the final Big Ten standings would be given a spot in the Big Ten championship game. As far as Penn State was concerned, that removed the typical roadblocks of finishing in a divisional tie with Ohio State or Michigan to compete for a Big Ten title.

As long as Penn State could avoid slipping up in some of the potentially tricky road trips against USC, Wisconsin, and Minnesota, then Penn State would be a strong Big Ten title contender as the season came to a close. The schedule did not include a game against defending national champion Michigan and managed to skip one of the preseason favorites, Oregon, in the regular season schedule that did include three games against new conference members. Of course, there was still the regular matchup with Ohio State, which did not go Penn State’s way yet again.

But Penn State won every other Big Ten game on its schedule, including those road games at USC, Wisconsin, and Minnesota, while Ohio State lost a head-to-head matchup against Oregon and its regular-season finale against rival Micigan. With Ohio State falling into the two-loss category, Penn State slid ahead of the Buckeyes in the Big Ten standings to lock in a matchup with the Oregon Ducks, ranked no. 1 with an undefeated record coming into Indianapolis in early December.

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Despite a respectable showing from the offense, Penn State’s defense had an uncharacteristically off outing against the high-powered Ducks. Oregon marched right down the field on Penn State’s defense on each of its first three possessions for three touchdowns before the Nittany Lions could manage to force Oregon to punt the ball way. Oregon built a 28-10 lead on Penn State before a touchdown catch by [autotag]Omari Evans[/autotag] and a touchdown run by quarterback [autotag]Drew Allar[/autotag] helped close the gap before halftime. Penn State brought the game to within four points but a late Oregon field goal gave the favored Ducks a 31-24 lead going into halftime.

Penn State’s offense went scoreless in the third quarter while Oregon’s Tez Johnson put Oregon up by two scores going into the fourth quarter. That was ultimately enough of a lead to keep Penn State at arm’s length despite Penn State scoring a pair of touchdowns in the fourth quarter.

[autotag]Kaytron Allen[/autotag] and [autotag]Nicholas Singleton[/autotag] each ran for over 100 yards in the game and [autotag]Tyler Warren[/autotag] caught seven passes for 84 yards. Allar had three touchdown passes but was intercepted twice, with one of those picks coming in a bad spot and handing the Oregon offense the football at the Penn State 1-yard line, which quickly led to a touchdown. Penn State simply had no answers for Oregon wide receiver Tez Johnson, who caught 11 passes for 181 yards and a touchdown. Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel passed for four touchdowns without an interception.

Penn State may have come up short in the Big Ten championship, 45-37, but Penn State’s effort showed they were deserving of the Big Ten title shot and looked to be ready to make a good run in the upcoming College Football Playoff. The result may have helped Penn State hold on to one of the top four rankings from the College Football Playoff selection committee to give the Nittany Lions a chance to host a first-round game as the No. 6 seed.

As time would suggest, Penn State was the third-best team in the Big Ten in 2024 behind Oregon and Ohio State, but the makeup of the new Big Ten championship game format showed Penn State was a team to watch in the Big Ten title hunt with the way the schedule played out.

This was just Penn State’s second appearance in the Big Ten championship game, as they won their previous appearance in 2016 against Wisconsin.

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Penn State’s Big Ten title hopes come up short in 45-37 loss to Oregon

Penn State awaits its College Football Playoff fate after losing to Oregon in the Big Ten championship game.

For as good as Penn State’s defense has been this season, not even they could find a way to stop arguably the most dynamic offense in college football. Penn State’s defense was bewildered by No. 1 Oregon on Saturday night in the Big Ten championship game in Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis and lost by a final score of 45-37. Penn State was not quite equipped to get into a track meet going up and down the field with Oregon, but they will come away from this one knowing they left some opportunities to waste in this battle against the Ducks.

Penn State’s defense could not stop the Oregon offensive attack in the first quarter. Dillon Gabriel led two masterful drives for touchdowns on each of Oregon’s full offensive series in the first quarter. Each drive was aided by a 15-yard face mask penalty on Penn State, including one on Tony Rojas on what would have been a fourth-down stop on Oregon’s second possession.

Penn State answered each time with two scoring drives on their first two possessions. The first drive ended with a field goal but [autotag]Drew Allar[/autotag] connected with a streaking [autotag]Nick Singleton[/autotag] over the middle for a 22-yard touchdown to pulled Penn State within 14-10. Penn State was flagged for unnecessary roughness on the ensuing kickoff, though, and Oregon started with the football at the Penn State 40-yard line, and two plays later Tez Johnson took Oregon into Penn State territory. A big catch by Johnson on the first play of the second quarter put Oregon in a 1st and Goal situation and Oregon soon took a 21-10 lead with Gabriel’s third touchdown pass of the game, to tight end Terrance Ferguson.

Penn State’s defense came up with its first stop of the game but the offense was backed up deep in its end after a booming Oregon punt. Allar was then picked off by Dontae Manning at the Penn State 25-yard line and Manning returned the football to the one-yard line, setting Jordan James up for an easy touchdown to push the Oregon lead to 28-10.

Allar bounced back on the next possession to orchestrate a touchdown drive. [autotag]Kaytron Allen[/autotag] injected some energy into the offense with his physical running and catching, and Allar locked in on Omari Evans for a 22-yard touchdown to cap a 75-yard drive, cutting Oregon’s lead to 28-17.

Following a strong three-and-out by the defense, Allar and the offense got back to work to inch a little bit closer before halftime. Allar scored on the ground to cut the Oregon leader to 28-14, but the Ducks tacked on field goal just before halftime to take a seven-point lead into the break. The 55 combined points set a new Big Ten record for combined points scored in the championship game. The previous record was 52 by Wisconsin and Nebraska in 2012.

Penn State did make things interesting at the start of the fourth quarter by finishing off a 98-yard touchdown drive, which was ignited with a hands-to-the-face penalty on Oregon at the start of the drive and finished by a Kaytron Allen touchdown run. Rather than kick an extra point though, Penn State opted for a two-point conversion attempt but Tyler Warren was stopped well short of the goal line to keep things at 38-30.

Oregon added to their lead to take a 45-30 lead but Allar and the Nittany Lions roared back for one more score when Allar got away from a defender holding on to his jersey and completed a fourth-down touchdown pass to [autotag]Harrison Wallace III[/autotag]. The defense held firm for a big stand and Penn State got the ball back one more time. But out of the two-minute warning, Allar heaved a ball down the right sideline to Wallace and was picked off by Nikko Reed, and the Ducks managed to work the remainder of the clock to celebrate a Big Ten championship in its first season in the conference.

Oregon proved once again why they came into the Big Ten with high hopes and why they are the top-ranked team in the country. Penn State’s defense has been stellar all season but had no answers for what Oregon wanted to do on offense. Despite some good moments, it was not enough against the Ducks, who scored more points on Penn State than any team did this season. Oregon will be the trendy national championship pick going into the playoff after securing the first-round bye as Big Ten champion and locking up the top seed in the playoff. Could a rematch be in the cards for Penn State?

Penn State will now await their College Football Playoff fate on Sunday from the selection committee. The Nittany Lions will still be heading to the playoff, and should still be in line to host a first-round playoff game. The seeding could be in question, especially after Texas lost in the SEC championship game and fell out of position for a first-round bye. Penn State may still be looking to host a first-round College Football Playoff game, but a lot hangs in unchartered territory at the moment.

What’s next for Penn State? We’ll find out Sunday afternoon when the College Football Playoff bracket is officially unveiled.

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Tyler Warren sets new Big Ten receiving yardage record by a tight end

Penn State’s Tyler Warren now owns the Big Ten record for most receiving yards in a season by a tight end.

After coming up mere yards shy of setting a new Big Ten receiving yardage record for a tight end in the regular season finale against Maryland, Penn State tight end Tyler Warren has now officially set a new Big Ten record. With his first catch in the Big Ten championship game against Oregon, a gain of seven yards, Warren set a new Big Ten receiving yardage record by a tight end by climbing to 985 receiving yards this season.

The previous record for the most receiving yards by a tight end in Big Ten history was 982 yards by Wisconsin’s Travis Beckum. Beckum set the record in 2007, the same year he set another record broken by Warren on Saturday for the most receptions in a single season by a tight end in Big Ten history.

Warren also took a marker to the Penn State record book in this game. Warren added a new Penn State program record for the most touchdown catches by a tight end, beating the mark previously held by Pat Freiermuth.

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Georgia’s SEC title victory puts Penn State in position for possible No. 1 seed

Penn State is playing for its first no. 1 ranking since 1997 after Georgia knocked off Texas in the SEC Championship Game.

As Georgia celebrated an overtime victory in the SEC championship game in Atlanta over the Texas Longhorns, it became clear that Penn State had a clearer path to do something it has not done in over two decades. A Penn State victory over Oregon would likely move no. 3 Penn State to the top of the college football rankings for the first time since 1997.

Pulling that feat off will be a difficult task, of course. Oregon is the no. 1 team in the rankings and is the last undefeated team left standing in the FBS. Oregon is a slight favorite in the Big Ten championship game. But with Texas losing to Georgia, it is now essentially guaranteed that the Big Ten champion will be the top-ranked team and own the no. 1 overall seed in the College Football Playoff.

Texas came into its first SEC championship game ranked no. 2 in the rankings. A win by Texas coupled with a Penn State victory over Oregon would have made for some debate over who should be no. 1. But Texas will now be locked out of a bye in the first round of the College Football Playoff and will await their seeding from the selection committee on Sunday. Texas could be the no. 5 seed, a spot that was being projected by Penn State heading into the conference championship games.

Earlier in the day, Boise State and Arizona State clinched their spots in the playoff as they will be among the five highest-ranked conference champions. Georgia is now officially locked in as well and will get one of the byes and top-two seeds.

Next up? The Big Ten champion and ACC champion. Game on!

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ESPN ‘College GameDay’ crew makes picks for Big Ten Championship between Penn State and Oregon

Timothee Chalamet joined the ESPN’s College GameDay crew to pick the Big Ten Championship

The Penn State Nittany Lions have a major opportunity Saturday evening inside Lucas Oil Stadium. With the No. 1 Oregon Ducks on the other sideline, James Franklin and his team have a chance to become Big Ten Champions while knocking off the No. 1 team in the nation.

Penn State rebounded after a loss to Ohio State a month ago. Dominating teams and grabbing a gritty win against Minnesota to finish the regular season with an 11-1 record. Now, the eyes of the world will be on Penn State in Indianapolis, where a top 5 matchup will go down against the Ducks.

ESPN’s “College GameDay” was in Atlanta for the SEC Championship between Texas and Georgia, but they still spent some time on the Big Ten title game and previewed what will go down Saturday evening.

ESPN’s “College GameDay” crew made its picks for the Big Ten Championship in Indy. Here’s how they picked to be the Big Ten Champion:

Desmond Howard: Oregon
Pat McAfee: Oregon
Nick Saban: Oregon
Guest Picker Timothee Chalamet: Oregon
Kirk Herbstreit: Oregon

The Big Ten Championship between Penn State and Oregon kicks off at 8:00 p.m. ET on CBS from Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana.

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Staff final score predictions for the Big Ten championship game

What are we predicting for the Big Ten championship game this weekend for the Nittany Lions?

The waiting is nearly over and Penn State’s chance for a Big Ten championship is approaching. All that stands between [autotag]James Franklin[/autotag], [autotag]Tyler Warren[/autotag], [autotag]Abdul Carter[/autotag], and the program’s second Big Ten title in the conference championship era is the only undefeated team in the land, the No. 1 Oregon Ducks. This is a big one, for sure!

Penn State and Oregon will meet on Saturday night in Indianapolis for the Big Ten championship as the Ducks look to polish off a 13-0 run to the Big Ten championship in its first season in the conference, while Penn State looks to clear a hurdle it has struggled to do on a number of occasions against top-tier competition. But in a year of college football like we have seen, why can’t Oregon take a loss to Penn State? It certainly would not be a shock to the world situation if Penn State were to come out on top of the Big Ten championship game. The point spread is sitting at 3.5 points in favor of Oregon and has not moved all week. So what do you think Penn State fans?

Will the Nittany Lions be celebrating this weekend on its way to the College Football Playoff? Our staff weighs in with our thoughts and final score predictions for the Big Ten championship game before the conference championship weekend gets underway.

Shayne: Penn State gets their first chance at a Big Ten Championship since 2016 this week against Oregon, the last unbeaten team in FBS. Oregon is obviously a very tough opponent for anyone, but Penn State has struggled in games like this under James Franklin. The defense will likely keep them in it for much of the game, but ultimately I think Oregon is the better team and will take home a Big Ten title in their first season in conference.

Oregon 27, Penn State 20

Charlie: I love Penn State’s defense and its offense is significantly better than it was last season. However, Penn State just has not won this magnitude of game during James Franklin’s tenure at Penn State. Franklin is 1-13 against top-five competition. For a perennial top 10 team that record won’t cut it. Penn State can buck that trend at anytime and they have the talent to beat Oregon on Saturday, even if the offense doesn’t play great. The defense could carry the team to a Big Ten title. As it was against Ohio State last month, until Penn State proves me wrong and wins a “big game” I just can’t pick them to upset the No. 1 team in the country.

Oregon 23, Penn State 16

Kevin: I did share my official prediction with our friends at Ducks Wire this week, and I will not back away from that. This is a game that will absolutely be winnable for Penn State thanks to a strong defensive effort. My only concern is whether or not the offense can take advantage of some key moments to generate some enthusiasm against a solid Oregon defense. Slow starts have been concerning for Penn State at times this season as well, and we saw the offense clam up close to the end zone against the best team on the schedule so far, Ohio State.

I do think Oregon holds the upper hand for the majority of the game, but a strong surge in the second half by Penn State gives the Nittany Lions a terrific fighting chance for a Big Ten title. Alas, I do think Oregon walks away with a close win to celebrate its first Big Ten championship and goes to the College Football Playoff as the top overall seed, while Penn State will get a chance to rebound with a home game in the first round.

Oregon 26, Penn State 23

Penn State and Oregon meet in the 2024 Big Ten championship game on Saturday, Dec. 7 at 8:00 p.m. ET on CBS. Follow us for continuing coverage as Penn State competes for a Big Ten title and enters the College Football Playoff.

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What is Penn State’s all-time record against Oregon?

Penn State and Oregon have met in the postseason twice before.

Penn State faced each of the newest Big Ten members from the West Coast during the 2024 regular season, except for one. Fortunately, Penn State will get the chance to be the only Big Ten team to play each of the four new members this season when it faces Oregon in the Big Ten championship game. Can Penn State make it a clean sweep of the Big Ten’s expansion members this season?

Pulling a 4-0 record against the Big Ten’s new members will not be easy. Oregon comes into this week’s Big Ten championship game as the only undefeated team in the FBS and the Ducks own the top ranking in the College Football Playoff rankings as well as the US LBM Coaches Poll and AP Top 25. Orgeon is also a slight favorite over the Nittany Lions.

At least history is on Penn State’s side in this one.

Penn State owns the lead in the all-time series with a 3-1 advantage against Oregon. The most recent meeting between the two schools was the 1995 Rose Bowl, when it was Penn State who completed a perfect season behind a star-loaded offense led by Kerry Collins, Ki-Jana Carter, Bobby Engram, and Kyle Brady.

The first meeting between Penn State and Oregon occurred in the 1960 Liberty Bowl in Philadelphia. Penn State won that meeting by a score of 41-12. The two schools lined up a home-and-home series a few years later in 1963 and 1964 and the road team won each meeting.

All-Time Penn State vs. Oregon Results

  • Dec. 17, 1960: Penn State 42, Oregon 12
    Liberty Bowl, Philadelphia, Pa.
  • Sept. 21, 1963: Penn State 17, Oregon 7
    Portland, Ore.
  • Oct. 3, 1964: Oregon 22, Penn State 14
    State College, Pa.
  • Jan. 2, 1995: Penn State 38, Oregon 20
    Rose Bowl, Pasadena, Cal.

So if you are keeping track of this series, Penn State has won all three games played outside of State College. Will that trend carry over to Indianapolis this weekend?

Penn State faces Oregon in the Big Ten Championship Game on Saturday, Dec. 7 at 8 p.m. ET. The Big Ten Championship Game will air on CBS.

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Joel Klatt says Penn State is ‘in’ College Football Playoff already

Is Penn State already in the College Football Playoff? Fox analyst Joel Klatt weighs in.

Penn State will play for the second Big Ten championship in program history in the Big Ten championship game era, but do the Nittany Lions need a win to secure a spot in the College Football Playoff? According to Joel Klatt of Fox Sports, the answer is no. Klatt says Penn State has already locked in a spot in this year’s playoff, which expands from four to 12 teams, regardless of what goes down against Oregon in this week’s Big Ten title game in Indianapolis.

Oregon will come into the Big Ten championship game as the only undefeated team left standing in the country. Even if the Ducks lose to Penn State, it is essentially guaranteed a 12-1 Oregon team at this point will be in the College Football Playoff.

Penn State is likely in a favorable position with just one regular season loss ina. year with most teams in playoff contention already owning multiple losses. A second loss on a neutral field to the nation’s top-ranked team should not harm them too much, but seeding would be interesting to see unfold.

But Klatt says both Penn State and Oregon are in. And they are not alone.

Other teams Klatt says have booked a spot in this year’s playoff field include Texas, Notre Dame, Georgia, Tennessee, Indiana, and Ohio State. Klatt then reserves a spot in the playoff for the ACC champion (Clemson or SMU), the Big 12 champion (Arizona State or Iowa State), and whichever team claims the top highest-ranked Group of Five conference championship (which boils down to Boise State, UNLV, Tulane, or Army).

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That leaves Alabama, Ole Miss, and South Carolina all battling for one final bubble spot. South Carolina has been the hottest team of the bunch but two of its three losses came against Alabama and Ole Miss. Alabama and Ole Miss each own a victory over Georgia for the best win of the bunch.

The company line from the College Football Playoff selection committee seems to be that a team losing ina. conference title game will not be punished harshly to the point of not including a team worthy of a top-12 ranking going into the conference title games. That should be good news for Penn State, which closed out the regular season ranked no. 4 in the playoff committee rankings and will likely be bumped up to no. 3 following Ohio State’s loss this weekend. Penn State moved up to no. 3 in the US LBM Coaches Poll and the AP Top 25 to take advantage of Ohio State losing a second game, and that trend is expected to carry over to the selection committee’s updated playoff rankings. Even at no. 4, it seems Penn State has basically wrapped up a spot in the playoff. All that is left to determine is seeding.

A win in the Big Ten championship game will guarantee Orgeon or Penn State a first-round bye as one of the four highest-ranked conference champions. The losing team will, in all likelihood, be hosting a first-round game in their home stadium later this month.

Penn State will battle Oregon on Saturday night in Indianapolis for the Big Ten championship game. Kickoff is set for 8:00 p.m. on CBS. This will be the first meeting between Penn State and Oregon as Big Ten opponents and the first meeting between the two schools since the 1995 Rose Bowl. Penn State opened as a slight underdog but has a slightly favorable win probability according to ESPN’s analytics.

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Joel Klatt moves Penn State up in his latest top-10 leading into championship weekend

Joel Klatt has Penn State trending upward in the rankings before the Big Ten championship game.

It should come as little surprise to see Penn State continuing to make some moves up in the national polls and rankings. Even if you believe Penn State has benefitted more from other teams losing than Penn State actually proving they are legitimately one of the top three teams in the country, it is not the Nittany Lions who are to blame for continuing to win games when nearly everyone else is not.

Despite Penn State losing head-to-head to Ohio State earlier this season, the Buckeyes’ taking their second loss of the year this past weekend at home against an average Michigan team led to Penn State moving ahead of Ohio State in the latest US LBM Coaches Poll and the AP Top 25. That trend is expected to continue with the updated College Football Playoff rankings leading up to Penn State’s appearance in the Big Ten championship game this week against top-ranked Oregon. The trend also flowed into the latest thoughts from Fox college football analyst Joel Klatt, who moved Penn State up to no. 3 in his personal weekly rankings.

Like in the mainline polls, Klatt has Penn State sitting behind only Oregon and Texas, respectively. Klatt dropped Ohio State down to no. 7 this week, slotting the Buckeyes behind two-loss Georgia (no. 5) and Tennessee (no. 6). Klatt also has one-loss Notre Dame one spot behind Penn State at no. 4 before jumping into his pack of two-loss contenders.

Klatt does have 11-1 Indiana one spot behind Ohio State, followed by SMU and Alabama to round out his top-10.

Penn State will battle Oregon on Saturday night in Indianapolis for the Big Ten championship game. Kickoff is set for 8:00 p.m. on CBS. This will be the first meeting between Penn State and Oregon as Big Ten opponents and the first meeting between the two schools since the 1995 Rose Bowl. Penn State opened as a slight underdog but has a slightly favorable win probability according to ESPN’s analytics.

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ESPN’s matchup predcitor makes surprising calculation for Big Ten championship game

Penn State fans may want to check out the win probability for the Big Ten championship game from ESPN.

Penn State will face Oregon in the Big Ten championship game this week after taking advantage of a door opening up in Week 14. Ohio State’s stumble at home against Michigan allowed Penn State to clinch a spot in the conference championship game with a conference record of 8-1 and a tiebreaker advantage over Indiana despite having similar 11-1 overall records. The Nittany Lions opened as a slight underdog according to the initial betting odds, but ESPN’s matchup predictor is telling a more encouraging story ahead of the matchup between the Nittany Lions and Ducks.

According to the ESPN matchup predictor on Monday afternoon, Penn State has a slight edge in win probability with a 53.8% chance of winning the Big Ten title game. This calculation could change by the day, so we’ll keep an eye on it throughout the week. And, of course, this is just a computer calculation that is not necessarily indicative of what may actually happen. But for Penn State fans, it should be worth smiling about at the beginning of the week!

The stakes for the Big Ten championship game are massive. The winner, regardless of who it is, will lock in a first-round bye in this season’s expanded 12-team College Football Playoff, while the loser will have to play in the first round.

Oregon likely has the biggest margin for error as a loss would be the first for the Ducks this season, and that should be more than good enough for the team currently ranked no. 1 in the polls to secure a first-round home playoff game in its worst-case scenario.

Penn State may still be in a position to host a first-round game if it comes up short against Oregon, as long as the selection committee stays true to the concept that has been shared that it will not punish a team playing in the conference championship weekend too harshly. But a loss would give Penn State two losses, so nothing is guaranteed for Penn State.

With both Penn State and Oregon ranked in the top four of the selection committee’s rankings last week, and likely holding to top four or three rankings this week when the rankings are updated, it is possible the winner of this weekend’s Big Ten title game could be the no. 1 seed in the College Football Playoff, which would allow the Big Ten champion to dictate which bowl game it wants to play in for the quarterfinal round of the playoff. Oregon would easily be the no. 1 team in the bracket with a win over Penn State, but Penn State may still have to get by Texas if the Longhorns win the SEC championship.

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