Penn State plays its biggest game of the year Saturday, and itโs time to give our predictions.
Will Penn State beat Oregon and get a College Football Playoff bye or lose and have to play an extra Playoff game?
Hereโs what we think.
ANDY STINE, NITTANY SPORTS NOW/ALTOONA MIRROR
EUGENE, OR – NOVEMBER 30: Oregon Ducks wide receiver Tez Johnson (15) celebrates a touchdown with Oregon Ducks wide receiver Traeshon Holden (1) during a college football game between the Washington Huskies and Oregon Ducks on November 30, 2024 at Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Oregon. (Photo by Brian Murphy/Icon Sportswire)
This is a little bit of a guess this week because I don’t trust any team in college football at the moment. But Oregon is probably the best PSU has seen this year and Dillon Gabriel is the most talented QB by far.
Oregon 27, Penn State 20
ZACH SEYKO, LOCKED ON NITTANY LIONS
Penn State is in a similar matchup, like the one with Ohio State. Fortunately, Penn State has the most star power. Abdul Carter, Zane Durant, and Tyler Warren will keep this game close. But that wonโt be enough. Oregon has three reliable options at wide receiver. Couple that with a veteran quarterback that rarely makes mistakes. It will be difficult to slow down the Ducks on offense. Can Penn State tackle all of that speed? We shall see. Defensively, Oregonโs front four will be best that Penn State has seen all season.
Oregon 31, Penn State 24
KYLE GOLIK, MIKEFARRELLSPORTS.COM
Photo by Matt Lynch, Nittany Sports Now: Kobe King
When I talked with Kobe King following the Ohio State game, I heard an attitude and toneย that I havenโt seen in the Penn State program. One that is confident in its championship aspirations. I feel the way State uses Tyler Warren is hard for UO to scheme against and he will get his plays. I feel Nicholas Singleton is fully healthy for the first time in a long time, the creative uses Andy Kotelnicki has with him is under the radar because so much is focused on Warren. This will be a shootout. UO QB Dillon Gabriel is way too experienced to make mistakes and is shifty enough to burn Penn State if they donโt have a spy. UO will run the ball, but the Ducks arenโt the same as they were a season ago when they had Bucky Irving. I feel James Franklin will out maneuver Dan Lanning when he gets too aggressive. All this leads to Penn State punching its Rose Bowl ticket with close win.
Penn State 37, Oregon 34
JARROD PRUGAR, NITTANY SPORTS NOW
Photo by Matt Lynch, Nittany Sports Now: Drew Allar
So much is at stake with this game but also is a game that is being played with house money. Penn State is likely in win or lose, but has the potential to slay the dragon of beating a top dog. This is a spectacular matchup for both teams. Dillon Gabriel against Abdul Carter. Drew Allar and the running game against Oregonโs 7th ranked defense. This is a game where Penn State could prove a lot of people wrong.
Penn State 24, Oregon 20
JOE SMELTZER, NITTANY SPORTS NOW
Geez, this is tough to pick. I could easily see things going either way, and up until today, I figured my final pick would be Oregon in a close win.
But Iโm going to go with Penn State for two reasons.
No. 1 is Nicholas Singleton.
It had been a long time since the Penn State RB looked as good as he did this past Saturday against Maryland (13 carries, 87 yards, 2 TD). Itโs also not a coincidence that this performance came days after coach James Franklin said Singleton was the closest to 100% he had been in a long time.
The second is this stat:
A big reason Penn State didnโt beat Ohio State was that it didnโt score a touchdown despite three red zone trips, two of those featuring Penn State driving the ball to the Oregon 3-yard line.
Oregonโs red zone defense ranks 80th of 134 FBS teams.
I like Penn State now.
Penn State 27, Oregon 24
These are our Penn State predictions. What are yours?
