Even after Iowa loss, Kirk Herbstreit believes Penn State may be Big Ten’s best team

The Big Ten has five teams inside of the top 10 entering Week 7, but ESPN’s Kirk Herbstreit thinks Penn State is the most complete team of the bunch.

With five teams ranked inside of the top 10 in the latest AP Top 25 poll, ESPN’s Kirk Herbstreit is not dissuaded by Penn State’s loss at Iowa one bit.

When asked by FanSided’s Mark Carman who the best team in the Big Ten is, Herbstreit offered the following.

“I think Penn State might be, even though they lost, if [Sean] Clifford doesn’t go down, they might win that game,” said Herbstreit to Carman on behalf of Goodyear and Waze. “They might be the team after last week people might be forgetting about. Yeah, they’ve got to go to Columbus and they still have some big games. But I think Penn State, if Clifford is healthy, is the most complete team of the bunch at this point.”

Penn State is ranked No. 7 entering its bye in Week 7. The Nittany Lions trail No. 2 Iowa and No. 6 Ohio State in the AP Poll, but are ahead of No. 8 Michigan and No. 10 Michigan State.

Kirk Herbstreit: Penn State may be the most complete team in the Big Ten

Herbstreit is right in that Penn State may have very well beaten Iowa at Kinnick had Clifford not gotten hurt. Ta’Quan Roberson was over his skis filling in for the injured Nittany Lions quarterback. Of course, Penn State needs Clifford to be healthy if they want any shot of winning a loaded Big Ten East division. They cannot lose to the likes of Michigan, Michigan State and Ohio State now.

“I still think if you’re just looking at athletes, potential and offensive firepower, it’s still hard not imagining Ohio State as the most gifted team,” added Herbstreit. “Are they better defensively? We’ll have to wait and see. They have a bye week and then it gets real. I still think Ohio State is the most talented team.”

Ohio State also has one loss on the year, albeit at home to Oregon in the non-conference. While the Buckeyes have the highest ceiling of any team in the league, they still have to play all three of their Big Ten East rivals. As far as if the Big Ten can get two teams into the College Football Playoff, Herbstreit believes the likeliest outcome involves Iowa getting to Indianapolis undefeated.

The Big Ten may get two teams in, but a one-loss non-champion Iowa would have to be one.

Kirk Herbstreit spoke with FanSided on behalf of Goodyear and Waze. To turn your car into the Goodyear Blimp and activate Herbstreit’s voice as the navigation guide, visit your Waze settings and choose “Map Display” and “Voice & Sound.”

Goodyear is hosting a ‘Road to Greatness’ sweepstakes now through Nov. 13 where fans can submit what team they believe will make it to the championship game for a chance to win tickets to the 2021 Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic and the 2022 CFP National Championship*. Wazers can also access the sweepstakes link within the inbox message of the Waze app. 

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