By:  Patrick Belanger

The Big Ten is arguably the hottest conference in college football at the moment. With four teams in the AP Top 25, three of them being in the top 10, the Big Ten is dominating the college football world. Although unlikely, it’s possible that the Big Ten could have two teams in the College Football Playoff. And those two teams, Penn State and Ohio State, will face off on Saturday afternoon in Columbus.

Of course, I’m going to be biased here when I say that Marcus Allen blocking the field goal and Grant Haley returning it for a touchdown was the best play in college football last year. That is most likely not the case if you haven’t grown up loving Penn State football. However, college football fans everywhere can agree with me that the blocked field goal in Happy Valley last October brought Penn State out of the shadows of the Sandusky scandal and back into the spotlight of college football. This led Penn State to go undefeated the rest of the regular season, winning the Big Ten Championship, and making it to their first Rose Bowl appearance since 2009.

This glorious win for the Nittany Lions brought a heart breaking loss to the #2 Buckeyes. Besides an overtime win against Wisconsin, Ohio State had been obliterating teams all season long up until this game. In the long run, losing this game did not affect Ohio State’s chance at making the College Football Playoff. A big overtime win against Michigan was enough to convince the selection committee for them to get the #3 seed in the Playoff. Yet, they were no match for the Clemson Tigers in their 31-0 loss in the Fiesta Bowl.

Regardless how the remainder of their seasons went, this weekend’s game has huge implications for the Buckeyes and the Nittany Lions.

Penn State took care of business against Michigan last weekend with their 42-13 win. James Franklin loves to make statements. And what better way to make a statement than beating the #6 Buckeyes on their home turf. Penn State will be looking to prove that they deserve the ranking they currently have by beating a stout Ohio State team.

Coming off a bye week, Ohio State has had plenty of prep for the Lions’ dangerous offense. The Buckeyes wants to be back in the Playoff talk after suffering a loss to Oklahoma in Week 2. This is also a revenge game for the Buckeyes, as they hope to take control of the Big Ten after last year’s loss.

My Prediction:
Coming into the 2017 season, Ohio State had the best home record for any team in the past 5 years. The Sooners spoiled this feat, and the Penn State will try to make it even worse. Penn State is ranked #9 in the country in total defense, but Ohio State is not far behind at #16. Both teams have possible Heisman in Saquon Barkley and J.T. Barrett. If Ohio State can contain Barkley and not allow Trace McSorley to make the big downfield throws, they can win the game. But, in my opinion(all bias aside), I think Penn State pulls off a road win because of their defensive play. Penn State has been keeping opposing offenses to 3.98 yards per play and looked lights out all year. Penn State needs to score early and score often, as well as keeping the pressure on Barrett, and come away with the dub.