As bad as Saturday was for Penn State football, there might be some worse days ahead.
That’s the reality of the situation.
Of Penn State’s first four Big Ten opponents, plenty would argue that Wisconsin was the worst one.
Well, Penn State football lost to Wisconsin Saturday, and now has the next three lined up, starting this Friday night at Northwestern.
For running back James Peoples, the loss could end up being a good thing.
“I feel like we needed it because I think you learn in life you learn a lot more from a loss than you do a win,” Peoples said afterward. “So I mean, this is what we needed, you know. God doesn’t make mistakes, so I feel like everything happens for a reason in my life for this team. So we ain’t gonna flinch. We just gonna come back better.”
Penn State will have to “come back better” against better competition.
NORTHWESTERN
This Northwestern team isn’t expected to reach the College Football Playoff by any stretch. But it isn’t bad. Northwestern dismantled Coach Prime and Colorado 41-7 Sept. 19. It followed that up with a trip to defending national champion Indiana. Northwestern didn’t pull the upset, but came close, falling by just six to the No. 6 team in the country on the road.
Now, Northwestern will be back home, knowing it can play with the Big Ten’s best and knowing that Penn State had been beaten.
PSU is favored, but the spread is just 3.5 per FanDuel Sportsbook, so the matchup is up for grabs.
USC
USC had a golden opportunity to get into the top 10 this week, but squandered that with a two-touchdown loss to Oregon at home. As a result, the Men of Troy fell from No. 12 to No. 18 in the AP Poll. If USC can get back on track at home against Washington, who just lost to Minnesota in Seattle, there’s a chance the Trojans move back into the top 15. Although USC is wounded like Penn State is, this will still be a tough out worthy of a White Out game.
MICHIGAN
Michigan has lost twice in four games, but only one of them was legitimate (if you know, you know). Although Michigan is 3-1 and No. 24 in the Coaches Poll, even its head coach admitted that it feels like the team is 0-4. Nonetheless, there’s a reason Penn State has only won three times in Ann Arbor since 1993 (not counting 2020, when there were no fans.) This year’s Penn State team has a lot of work to do before anybody can feel comfortable about it winning in The Big House.
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