First Down: #4 Ohio State at #9 Penn State: College Football’s Woodstock: Gameday, the Whiteout Game, a primetime kickoff….So what do we know about these teams? Penn State can score against defenses that rank 84th nationally on average. Ohio State can score against defenses that rank 94th on average. Where are the differences? Penn State has trailed both Appalachian State and Illinois in the second half. Ohio State trailed TCU in the 3rd quarter but stomped everyone else. Ohio State’s linebackers are more active. While Trace McSorley is a far more experienced big-game player, the receiver corps has got to be more consistent catching the ball. Dwayne Haskins has a strong accurate arm and unle

Penn State fans have always believed in a higher standard, in a pride in yelling WE ARE.. Certainly there is a small segment who may act like jerks, but in the years I’ve traveled the country the feedback about Penn State fans has been overwhelmingly positive. This weekend against Ohio State is a chance to make a statement about what "WE ARE" means, “WE” being inclusive of every student, alum and fan. The offseason has been a difficult one at Ohio State, and the investigation is done and the suspensions are served. Yet in the minds of many who are not Ohio State fans, it is anything but over. It is fodder for T-shirts, or signs or hashtags, or things that are posted on social media or yelled

1. The Big Ten’s Playoff Hopes: With a series of bad non-conference losses impacting the perception of the league, it may take a Big Ten team being undefeated to get into the playoff. Among the one-loss teams, Wisconsin’s loss is a bad one at home against BYU. If Michigan runs the table with wins over Penn State, Ohio State and the Big Ten Title game, their road loss to Notre Dame may not keep them out. With Penn State and Ohio State the lone undefeated teams left in the Big Ten, the winner of this weekend’s game in Happy Valley will emerge as the conference’s standard bearer…for now. 2. Almost Heaven West Virginia: Very quietly #12 West Virginia in knocking on the Top Ten’s door and may be

First Down: Big Ten Crossover Games: The Big 10 inter-divisional crossover games this week. Since going to an East/West split there has been a lot of discussion about the imbalance of the two divisions. However despite that perception of Eastern superiority only once has the East had a winning crossover regular season record. East Vs West Crossover Game Records: 2017 East 13-8 2016 West 11-10 2015 Tied 7-7 2014 Tied 7-7 Total East 37-33 52.9% For those arguing for a more balanced division of teams using data and past results, that was the Big 10’s initial approach in 2011. The league was split into

1. These “Basketball Schools” Are a Surprising 3-0: Three teams that we normally associate with great college basketball teams are off to 3-0 starts. Cincinnati opened on the road with a win at UCLA to start 3-0. With Ohio U, UConn and Tulane ahead the Bearcats could be looking at 6-0. Kentucky broke the Florida curse, but with Top-15 Mississippi State this week we’ll know how real they are. Duke has won road games at Northwestern and Baylor to get to 3-0 and should be 4-0 before Virginia Tech comes to Durham in 2 weeks. These schools need not wait for basketball season to see some exciting competition on campus. 2. A Bad Day for One Big and a Good Day for Another: The Big Ten had a day to f

First Down: This is The First of Many Multi-Screen Weekends: Hurricane Florence has put a dent into the schedule but there are still some great games. The noon slot holds little intrigue, but at 3:30 you’ll need a TV, Tablet and Smartphone. In that slot BYU goes to #6 Wisconsin, #12 LSU is at Auburn, and #17 Boise State is at #24 Oklahoma State. In the prime time slot at 7:00 #1 Alabama is at surprising 2-0 Ole Miss which overlaps with 8:00 games #4 Ohio State at #15 TCU and #22 USC at Texas. The 8:00 games then overlap with the 10:00 kick of #10 Washington at Utah. Pack a cooler with food, snacks and beverages, throw on a pair of Depends adult diapers and don’t leave your couch this Saturda

1. Stanford Goes Old School on USC: Stanford ‘s17-3 win over USC came down to great defense. Stanford held USC to under a 50% pass completion rate and just 3.1 yards per run. But the bigger number was field position. Because Stanford protected the football with no turnovers USC’s averaged starting at their own 23 yard line. Also USC never started a possession further out than their own 37. That is some old school football. 2. Momentum—Catch it While You Can: Both Pitt and South Carolina had chances in the first half to get leads that could've altered the course of their losses. Lost in the final score to Penn State was a second quarter where the Panthers squandered 4 straight possessions to

First Down: A Rivalry Returns Part 1: This weekend #13 Penn State travels to Pitt for the 99th meeting between the two schools. In the 1970s through the 1990s this rivalry ran as hot as any in the country. From 1976 through 1986 these teams combined to play for 5 National Titles in 11 years (PSU won 2 and Pitt 1). In 2016 the rivalry returned after a 16-year break as Pitt beat Penn State. Last year Penn State won 33-14 as Pitt moved the ball but struggled to put points on the board. By week 12 with a 4-7 record, Pitt turned to Freshman QB Kenny Pickett and in his first start he led the team to a win over #2 Miami. If he plays to that level he could be the key factor for Pitt to make a run at

Every Monday we recap things you may have missed this past weekend: 1. Bachie Ball: On Friday Night Michigan State Linebacker Joe Bachie (pronounced like Bocce) made a play to win a hard-fought game over Utah State. While blitzing Utah State's QB he....just watch the play here. 2. Big Ten East Power Rankings: 2018 Big Ten East power ratings based ONLY on what a team had done this year would look like this after Week 1 (a very small sample size that reflects only 1 game). 1. Ohio State based on a dominant 77-31 win over Oregon State. 1A. Maryland based on a 34-29 upset win over #23 Texas. Teams #3-7 really did not differentiate themselves from one another. Penn State and Michigan State had cl