After rivalry week claimed two of last week’s Top 10 teams as casualties, the conference championship picture drastically changed. Most importantly, the lowly, 7-5 Michigan Wolverines knocked off the then-No. 2 ranked Ohio State Buckeyes in the latest iteration of “The Game.”
Because of that shocking upset, Oregon, who was all but penciled-in to take on Ohio State in this weekend’s Big Ten Championship, now faces the No. 3 Penn State Nittany Lions in Indianapolis on Saturday.
The Nittany Lions secured their spot by winning their last four games, which all came after Penn State’s sole loss of the season against Ohio State. Much can be said about the lack of strength in Penn State’s schedule, but the Nittany Lions do have the 36th ranked strength of schedule, while the No. 1 Ducks hold just the 60th strongest.
Penn State outscored its opponents 154-48 in its last four games, so the Nittany Lions are coming into the conference championship game hot.
The team is led by quarterback Drew Allar, who remained towards the top end of Big Ten quarterbacking statistics throughout the season. Allar tallied 2668 passing yards (sixth best in Big Ten), 18 touchdowns (fifth) and completed 71.6% of his passes (third, fifth best nationally).
The offense is spearheaded by the two-headed rushing monster of Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen, who rank 12th and 13th respectively in the Big Ten with 733 and 698 rushing yards. Penn State’s running game ranks second in the Big Ten with 194.7 yards per game. The Ducks allow just 112.4 rushing yards per game, and the Nittany Lions’ ground attack will be the best Oregon has faced this season.
The passing game is nothing to balk at, however. Although Penn State ranks seventh in the conference in passing, it is led by one of the nation’s best tight ends in Tyler Warren. Warren played a plethora of positions throughout the season, but he ranks second amongst TEs in receiving yards (978), third in receptions (81) and tied for third in touchdowns with six. Last week against Maryland, Warren became the Big Ten Conference’s all-time leader in receptions by a tight end.
Penn State’s success comes primarily from the strength of its defense, which ranks third in the Big Ten in total defense (266.8 yards per game) and fourth in the nation in the same category. The group is led by one of the top NFL prospects in the upcoming draft, edge rusher Abdul Carter.
Carter ranks third in the country with 19.5 tackles for loss, and 10 of those came from quarterback sacks. The Oregon offensive line will have its hands full containing one of the conference’s finest defensive units, but the Ducks’ offense has a lot to say for itself.
Oregon ranks third in the Big Ten in scoring with 35.2 points per game and first in total offense with 448.5 yards per game, so the elite Penn State defense will also have its hands full.
Saturday’s Big Ten Championship at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana, brings together one of the nation’s finest defenses with an offense which has yet to be stopped sufficiently this season. Penn State and head coach James Franklin will bring their hard-nosed defensive approach to Indiana to take on Oregon and head coach Dan Lanning’s electric offensive scheme.
The winner of the Big Ten will almost certainly secure one of the top seeds in the College Football Playoff, earning the closest thing to home field advantage that this new format can offer, which includes the choice of venues for playoff contests.
The No. 1 seed is on the line Saturday, and you won’t want to miss it.
