Big Ten Power Rankings: Week 14

The best moment of Penn State’s win over Michigan State was when the crowd erupted once the Michigan vs. Ohio State game was over. While James Franklin probably did his best to keep his players focused on their own game, there was no way they weren’t going to find out what happened. And as soon as they heard the crowd, Penn State knew they had a chance to play for the Big Ten Championship if they beat Michigan State.

After a shaky first half in which they trailed 12-10, the Lions rebounded by outscoring the Spartans 35-0 in the second half. Michigan State learned the hard way that, like Frieza, first half Penn State isn’t even their final form. And even when the game was in hand, Franklin kept his starters in through the fourth quarter. Michigan State won this game 55-16 last year, so it’s possible that they tried to exact revenge by running up the score.

The bad news was that Saquon Barkley had to leave the game, and prior to that, he only had 14 yards on 12 carries. The good news was that they didn’t need Barkley, since Trace McSorley was the hero for Penn State. He set career highs in both passing yards (376) and touchdowns (four) in a game, as he was an unstoppable force. While seeing Barkley leave put his status in doubt, early signs point to him being a go for the Championship Game.

This team deserves all the credit in the world. James Franklin went from the hot seat to arguably the coach of the year in the Big Ten. Many teams would’ve packed it in after losing 49-10 to Michigan, but not this group.

If they beat Wisconsin, I will be the leader of the “Get Penn State to the Playoff” movement. It’s okay to have Ohio State there, despite not being a conference champion. But leaving out Penn State, with a conference championship and a win over Ohio State, would be inexcusable. It doesn’t matter that they’re a two-loss team, or that there would be two Big Ten teams in the top four. The eye test proves they’re one of the best teams in the country, and a win over Wisconsin would only validate that.

There’s plenty of reasons why they should feel confident in beating Wisconsin, too. Their offense is miles better than the Badgers’, and while everyone praises Wisconsin’s defense, Penn State’s is good too. The linebacker duo of Jason Cabinda and Brandon Bell are absolutely lights out – it’s no secret that the Nittany Lions struggled when they were injured. They’re just as dynamic as Vince Biegel, and would give Wisconsin’s quarterback fits.

Penn State has already emerged as one of the best stories in college football this year, and winning their first conference title since 2008 would be a remarkable achievement. Whether it lands them a Playoff spot remains to be seen, but the committee would be crazy to leave them out.