4-Down Territory: All Hands On Deck--Big College Football Weekend: Get Up Early & Stay Up Late!!!
1st Down: The PAC-12 Is Back--EARLY and LATE: The Pac-12 is back and on day one will start their day in the pre-dawn hours and last late into the evening…..Arizona State at #20 USC: The Trojans need a great season, and it seems they can’t wait. This game kicks off as the Fox Big Noon (EST) game, kicking off at 9 a.m. in LA. Traditionally teams need time to eat, get taped and time for pre-game warm-ups. That means pre-game meals are often 3 ½ hours before kickoff. Do the math and you could be eating breakfast at 5:30 a.m. before heading to the stadium…… Stanford at #12 Oregon: Oregon is seen as of the Pac-12’s best hopes for the College Football playoff. In the ABC Primetime game at 7:30 eastern, we’ll see right away how much they miss QB Justin Herbert…..Washington at Cal: And wrapping up the day is a 10:30 p.m. eastern kickoff on ESPN. That is one full first day for the Pac-12.
2nd Down: Big Ten Movement Day: Although this is only week 3 we will see meaningful movement in the Big Ten standings…..#23 Michigan at #13 Indiana: A second loss for Michigan would be devastating with just five games to go. As good as the Wolverine offense looked in week one, they looked equally sluggish in week two. Indiana has an opportunity to make a strong statement as an upper-echelon Big Ten East team in 2020. Keep an eye on IU QB Michael Penix, the engine of that offense who has already proven (against PSU) that he is comfortable making plays in the big moment…..Nebraska at Northwestern: Before the season some may have seen this game as a “breather” for the Cornhuskers in an opening slate that started out with Ohio State, Wisconsin, this trip to Northwestern before hosting Penn State. Guess again. The Wildcats are 2-0 behind a great defense. With transfer QB Peyton Ramsey they’ve made dramatic improvement on offense from 297 yards and 16.3 points per game in 2019 to 405 yards and 32 points this year…..Maryland at Penn State: The Nittany Lions need a win after their first 0-2 start since 2012. Against Maryland’s defense the PSU offense should have a chance to get an early lead. Penn State’s defense has yielded 35+ points in 3-straight games for the first (and only time) back in 1899 (not a typo)……Purdue at Wisconsin: Covid-19 takes another game from the Badgers.
3rd Down: Top-Ten Games to Watch—Part One: #9 BYU at #21 Boise State: An impressive win here on Friday night may be the best argument the Cougars can make to stake out a spot for a New Year’s Six Bowl Game……Houston at #6 Cincinnati: The Bearcats have one of the most impressive defenses that no one has seen, proving dominant in routs of teams known for scoring lots of points. If you are watching Florida-Georgia on your TV make sure your tablet is tuned in to this game at 3:30….#7 Texas A&M at South Carolina: In a season that can be special, the Aggies cannot get tripped up here. The Gamecocks already own an upset of Auburn in Columbia this year.
4th Down; The Main Events: #8 Florida vs #5 Georgia (in Jacksonville): The match-up to watch here is the Florida offense versus the Georgia defense—strength versus strength. Florida QB Kyle Trask and the Gator receivers have been scoring in bunches. But Georgia has seen this type of WR corps already once this season at Alabama. For the Georgia offense it is vital that they avoid the turnovers that cost them against the Tide. The last thing Georgia coach Kirby Smart wants to see is the Gators getting extra possessions for their offense….#1 Clemson at #4 Notre Dame: Take another nostalgic trip to South Bend for a big November game in South Bend. For Clemson freshman QB D.J.Uiagalelei his first road start at the helm of a #1 team playing at Notre Dame against the 4th-ranked team has to rank among the most historic first road starts for anyone. To win this one the Irish will need a defensive effort for the ages against a Clemson offense loaded with weapons. If they force the Tigers into the same types of mistakes they made last week the Irish can etch another epic win into a long, proud history.
The Ultimate PSU Season Continues Week 9 : Started as season-replacement therapy for PSU fans before the Big Ten reinstated play, they may need this even more now. Each week we pick the top win for PSU from each corresponding week in games played form 1966 through 2019……Note: This week's highlights include a rousing Pep Rally speech from PSU Coach Joe Paterno.
November 4, 1978: (2) Penn State 27 (5) Maryland 3: With PSU playing Maryland this week, this one timed out well. But the contrast between that game and this one is pretty striking. On a breath-takingly beautiful November day a record crowd of 78,019 settled in for this battle of unbeatens between teams from bordering states. The Terps were primed for an upset and to finally beat a Joe Paterno coached team (they never did). Penn State’s defense was simply dominant behind a front that included All-Americans Matt Millen and Bruce Clark. They racked up 10 sacks and held Maryland to MINUS 32 yards on the ground and without a touchdown. Penn State’s offense rolled up 444 yards against the Nation’s 4th-rated defense behind a punishing running attack and All-American QB Chuck Fusina.
The Ultimate Penn State Season:
Pre-season 1996 (11) Penn State 24 (7) USC 7 Watch
Week 1 1999 (4) Penn State 41 (3) Arizona 7 Watch
Week 2 1977 (10) Penn State 31 (9) Houston 14 Watch
Week 3 1978 (5) Penn State 19 at (6) Ohio State 0 Watch
Week 4 1982 (8) Penn State 27 (2) Nebraska 24 Watch
Week 5 2002 (21) Penn State 34 at (15) Wisconsin 31 Watch
Week 6 1994 (3) Penn State 31 at (5) Michigan 24 Watch
Week 7 1986 (6) Penn State 23 at (3) Alabama 3 Watch
Week 8 1967 Penn State 13 (3) NC State 8
Week 9 1978 (2) Penn State 27 (5) Maryland 3 Watch
