Winner: Ohio State Buckeyes (No. 6 up to No. 3)
There may not be a bigger winner this week than Ohio State, although Iowa State is fairly close. The Buckeyes hosted Penn State in what was considered a “rematch game” from last year. The two teams faced off in Happy Valley a season ago and the Nittany Lions beat the Buckeyes in impressive upset fashion thanks to a late blocked field goal returned for a score.
Ohio State didn’t forget that and Urban Meyer even admitted before the game that revenge was a motivational tool for his team all week. It didn’t look that way early on as Penn State jumped out to a big lead, but the Buckeyes didn’t quit.
If there’s anything we’ve learned from Meyer’s teams over the past five or so years, it’s that the Buckeyes just don’t quit. Even when things look to be all wrapped up, they find a way to make things interesting and it’s one of the reasons Ohio State has been so dominant in Big Ten play under Meyer.
Penn State was up 35-20 late, but the Buckeyes kept chipping away and took a 39-38 lead with just minutes left. The Nittany Lions couldn’t respond. The win was a big one for Meyer and put the Buckeyes in that top-four conversation.