It’s a statement game of perhaps the highest proportion — and one that greatly favors Penn State.
When the No. 3 Nittany Lions open their Big Ten season against No. 6 Oregon on Saturday (7:30 p.m., NBC10), it will be the get-back game from last year’s loss to the Ducks in the Big Ten championship, one that saw Penn State lose an opportunity for a bye in the College Football Playoff.
The Nittany Lions have all of the advantages in this one — their fourth straight game at Beaver Stadium, a “White Out” environment, and perhaps a bit of West Coast jet lag for the visitors.
It’s probably why Vegas has Penn State as a 3.5-point favorite to win.
But there’s more here, and it’s all forward-looking. Oregon is a really good football team. So let’s start with the Ducks, who enter the game at 4-0 and have a leg up on a conference win after easily dismantling Northwestern two weeks ago. Their defense ranks ninth in passing yards allowed (480), and with the ball, they are explosive, particularly in the red zone, with 16 touchdowns from inside the 20-yard line.
Impressive when you remember that sophomore Dante Moore is playing QB, with first-round NFL draft pick Dillon Gabriel now the No. 2 signal caller with the Cleveland Browns.
A win over Oregon would be a resumé builder. Even with Penn State’s No. 3 ranking, many still wonder if James Franklin has the unit that will not just return to the CFP, but win it.
Oregon marks the real first step in that journey.
» READ MORE: Penn State wants Beaver Stadium ‘rocking’ as it prepares for No. 6 Oregon’s explosive offense
Banking on Allar
Since we’re on the topic of Penn State, you should know that very quietly earlier this month, Nittany Lions quarterback Drew Allar became one of the highest-paid players in college football after inking a deal with Nike.
According to an On3 NIL Valuation, Allar is collecting $2.8 million this season and ranks among the top 10 earners in the sport, trailing Texas quarterback Arch Manning, who is reportedly earning $5.5 million this season.
Coincidentally, Allar’s Nike deal, which adds to the NIL payout he received from American Eagle earlier this year, arrived just days after the school announced a partnership with Adidas beginning next season.
Ups and downs at Temple
So what have we learned about Temple in the K.C. Keeler era? It’s still too early to tell. Coming off a pair of expected losses to top-25 teams, there were flashes of positives that could make the naysayers interested in how the Owls play in games against competition outside the Power Four.
» READ MORE: An inside look at the College Football Playoff selection process at the Texas hotel where it all goes down
A 21-point loss to No. 16 Georgia Tech doesn’t accurately reflect Temple’s offensive brilliance, particularly on the ground. At one point, Temple trailed by only one possession before the Yellow Jackets pulled away. However, on Wednesday Terrez Worthy, a key figure among the Owls’ running backs, abruptly left the program with little explanation.
A monster loss to then-No. 13 Oklahoma aside, Temple’s defense has given its offense every opportunity to stay in games. Now that they’re done with the games that allow the program to collect lucrative checks, the Owls can get back to the goal of qualifying for their first bowl appearance in six years starting with Texas-San Antonio at Lincoln Financial Field this Saturday (1 p.m., listen live).
Villanova and Penn with lots to prove
While admittedly it’s still a bit too early to tell, it’s tough to know what to make of Villanova and Penn. In the case of the Quakers, a field-goal win over a team that was supposed to be a layup doesn’t inspire much confidence.
During the preseason, Penn coach Ray Priore preached the desire to be more disciplined, noting that “the [end] goal is not three [points], the goal is seven.”
The Quakers will get a much stiffer test against Lehigh (4-0) on Saturday (noon, ESPN+) before opening Ivy League competition at home against defending league champion Dartmouth on Oct. 4 (1 p.m., ESPN+).
In the case of Villanova, its game against No. 2 Penn State gets a pass, but the 1-2 Wildcats followed up a game when they gave up 52 points by giving up 51 in their conference opener last week against Monmouth.
Next up is a home game (3:30 p.m., FloSports) against William & Mary (2-2, 1-0), a team the Wildcats haven’t beaten since 2019.
» READ MORE: Temple running back Terrez Worthy leaves the program for unspecified reasons
We see you, Coach
Shout-out to Syracuse coach and devout Camden native Fran Brown for shouting out his hometown on national television. Brown entered the week with his Orange having defeated Clemson for the first time since 2017, and just their third win against the Tigers all-time.
Next up for Brown and Syracuse (3-1): welcoming Duke to the JMA Wireless Dome for another nationally televised matchup on Saturday (noon, ESPN).
Stat of the week
13: The total touchdowns scored in Villanova’s 51-33 loss to Monmouth last Saturday. Five of those were scored by the Wildcats, mostly by running back David Avit, who had three to go with his 135 yards rushing.
Game of the week
In addition to Saturday’s nationally televised game between No. 3 Penn State and No. 6 Oregon …
No. 4 LSU at No. 13 Mississippi, (3:30 p.m., 6ABC)
The Tigers enter as only 2.5-point favorites against an Ole Miss team that has been dominant on its way to a 4-0 start. On LSU’s side, you have Garrett Nussmeier picking up right where he left off last season, already approaching 1,000 yards passing (962) with six touchdowns across four games. But keep eyes on Ole Miss sophomore running back Kewan Lacy, who has racked up 358 yards and seven touchdowns in four games.