Week 8 showed some of the class of the Big Ten and others who are most certainly off the pace on the scoreboard. But digging into this weekend’s notable results, we here at Sports Illustrated are determined to find the answer to the question: Which team does the final score say more about?
Ohio State 20, Penn State 12 says more about Penn State
This was an if not now, then when? game for Penn State. I guess the answer is never, apparently. Penn State has an absolutely championship-level defense that is being dragged down by the three-ton anchor commonly referred to as the Penn State offense. The Nittany Lions were never a threat to score a touchdown in this game; their rampant lack of a vertical threat means a defense doesn’t even have to attempt to respect their receivers and therefore can load the box and make it hell for their running backs to do much, if anything. This was supposed to be the year for Penn State. It was supposed to get out of the purgatory that exists between Ohio State and Michigan above them, and the rest of the conference below them. It’s not happening this year. It’s safe to wonder if it ever will, especially as their station of the league gets more crowded with the Pac-12 entrants on their way July 1.
