
First it was Oregon; Penn State's double-overtime loss to the Ducks might have been expected. Then it was UCLA—a historic loss to be sure, but the time change gave the Nittany Lions plausible deniality.
And then came Homecoming—supposedly an auto-win since its early 20th-century invention. In front of alumni near and far, Penn State lost 22–21 Northwestern Saturday to all but seal the Nittany Lions' College Football Playoff fate.