“Depression” Valley. Pennsylvania, 16802
What has happened to the Nittany Lions? Sky high expectations at the start of the year, ranked No. 2 in the AP Poll, start off undefeated, but then drop three straight conference games against Oregon, UCLA and then Northwestern. To add insult to injury (literally), starting quarterback Drew Allar will be out the rest of the year.
Some Penn State fans have been calling for James Franklin’s head for the past couple of years due to his inability to win big games, but some thought maybe he was turning the ship around, similar to Jim Harbaugh at Michigan a few years ago, following a national semi-final appearance.
The shocker from Sunday came shortly after noon, as Franklin was fired and will be owed $49 million. Names will pop up left and right, including Nebraska’s Matt Rhule as he is an alum, but this massive turn of events will create a ripple effect across the nation.
Indiana is a machine
Last week, I said to grab your popcorn for No. 3 Oregon and No. 7 Indiana. I hope you listened to me because the 30-20 victory for the Hoosiers was electric. Playing Oregon is one thing, but going into Eugene and making a Heisman contender have his worst game of the season and turn the ball over more times than scored while your own quarterback cements himself as one of the best quarterbacks in the country is another.
This game all but solidifies Indiana as one of two teams that will battle it out for the Big Ten Championship on Dec. 6. Indiana has to play Michigan State, UCLA, at Maryland, at Penn State, Wisconsin and at Purdue. Penn State was the toughest by far two weeks ago, but now it is a toss-up between UCLA and Maryland, which still likely won’t be a close game.
UCLA is back… Maybe?
Don’t get me wrong, this UCLA storyline is fun to watch. Jerry Neuheisel might have one of the best stories in all of college football right now, if not all time. But this success isn’t sustainable. Playing Penn State two weeks ago is very different from playing Penn State now; however, it is still a good win. Their win against Michigan State is better, but Sparty has struggled to get any sort of momentum on offense all year.
This resurgence of Nico Iamaleava has been entertaining, and from all the hate he got on social media, I am glad he is finally showing his talent. But I just don’t see any sustainability. For the sake of football, UCLA being back will be great; however, I genuinely have no clue what the Bruins are or will be.
USC might have the deepest offense in the country
Hosting the No. 15 team in the country will always be a challenge, especially when it is a challenge to sell out your own stadium. In a 31-13 domination of Michigan, the Trojans showed why they should be back in the top-25.
When it comes to USC’s offense, the stars are already known and shining. Jayden Maiava had two touchdowns, with Makai Lemon snagging a touchdown, and was just shy of 100 receiving yards on the day. The real star of the show was walk-on freshman running back King Miller. Miller has 310 yards on 29 carries and three touchdowns on the season. Against Michigan, Miller had 158 yards, 18 carries and one touchdown. Over half of his career production has come in one game, which could be the spark to take the Trojans’ offense to the next level.
It’s time to rank Washington
Washington is 5-1, and outside of Illinois, was the only team to really test Ohio State. Rutgers gave some problems to the Huskies’ defense, being held scoreless in the first quarter, but Washington turned things up after the break.
Washington’s offense will be its strong suit, but the defense is slowly starting to find its rhythm. Six pass breakups and an interception, and holding Ohio State to 24 will be huge for their resume down the stretch.
And a real quick shoutout to Athan Kaliakmanis, who continues to shine for the Scarlet Knights and is starting to show scouts what he may do at the next level. 31-of-50 with 386 yards and two touchdowns and an interception, while on a team that struggles, shows resilience. This is a bad year for Rutgers to lose their defense.
Standings after week seven
You know the drill, here is what the Big Ten standings look like after week seven, with head-to-head as the first tie breaker and point differential as the second (+xy or -xy), and who they play next week:
1) No. 3 Indiana (6-0) (3-0) +191 – vs Michigan State (3-3), 10/18
2) No. 1 Ohio State (6-0) (3-0) +162 – @ Wisconsin (2-4), 10/18
3) No. 20 USC (5-1) (3-1) +127 – @ No. 13 Notre Dame (4-2), 10/18
4) No. 8 Oregon (5-1) (2-1) +172 – Rutgers (3-3), 10/18
5) No. 25 Nebraska (5-1) (2-1) +131 – @ Minnesota (4-2), 10/17
6) Washington (5-1) (2-1) +98 – vs Michigan (4-2), 10/18
7) Illinois (5-2) (2-2) +78 – BYE
8) Michigan (4-2) (2-1) +83 – vs Washington (5-1), 10/18
9) Iowa (4-2) (2-1) +69 – vs Penn State (3-3), 10/18
10) Northwestern (4-2) (2-1) +33 – vs Purdue (2-4), 10/18
11) Minnesota (4-2) (2-1) +30 – vs No. 25 Nebraska (5-1), 10/17
12) UCLA (2-4) (2-1) -63 – vs Maryland (4-2), 10/18
13) Maryland (4-2) (1-2) +83 – @ UCLA (2-4), 10/18
14) Penn State (3-3) (0-3) +104 – @ Iowa (4-2), 10/18
15) Rutgers (3-3) (0-3) +68 – @ No. 8 Oregon (5-1), 10/18
16) Michigan State (3-3) (0-3) +11 – @ No. 3 Indiana (6-0), 10/18
17) Purdue (2-4) (0-3) -10 – @ Northwestern (4-2), 10/18
18) Wisconsin (2-4) (0-3) -6 – vs No. 1 Ohio State (6-0), 10/18