As college football pundits debated whether two Big Ten teams should make the four-team playoff, the two coaches vying for a Big Ten championship Saturday night trained their attention on something less nebulous: Winning one more game.
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On Sunday morning, a man sipping from a blue mug shouted to passers-by in front of his State College home: “How about them Nittany Lions?”. But heck, if Washington or Clemson lose this weekend and a spot opens for another Big Ten team, it might go to fifth-ranked MI.
After two wins that served as a warm up for one of the most brutal stretches in modern football history, Wisconsin beat down then-No.
“I’ve said before: We can’t control what (the selection) committee does”, senior cornerback Sojourn Shelton said on a conference call. It really is. The other night, we got done watching tape and were leaving the building around 11:30 … and we had people camping out for tickets for this game.
– Both teams arrived in Indy Friday afternoon. It’s going to come down to turnovers like it has in every Big 10 championship game that has been played.
The Penn State Nittany Lions are 8-0 straight up and 7-0-1 against the spread over their last eight games. Before the season it was all Iowa, all MI, all Ohio State.
Yet, with other marquee matchups it’s hard to be sure of anything. “I don’t know what else you can do really”.
Bottom line: With a fully operational Barkley, the Big Ten’s third-leading rusher with 1,219 yards, coach James Franklin has the best of both sides.
Penn State co-defensive coordinator Tim Banks expects the Badgers to lean on their running game.
If Barkley isn’t at his best, how explosive will the Lions offense be? Cornerback Sojourn Shelton, a four-year starter, had two interceptions last week against Minnesota.
With that being said, if there’s a defense up to the challenge of stopping Penn State – especially on a neutral field – it’s Wisconsin’s. You see it walking around campus.
The biggest question mark surrounding his program all week was the status of star tailback Saquon Barkley, who left the Michigan State game in the second half with an injured right foot and didn’t return. I think each individual player’s journey either to Wisconsin or once they’re there sets them apart. They have tightened up in the later part of the season, allowing just 66.8 yards per game on the ground in their last five games. This college football contest sees No. 6 Wisconsin take on No. 7 Penn State at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.
For those not heading to the game, it will be shown nationally on FOX. Linebackers Vince Biegel and T.J. Watt are among the best at what they do and rarely come off the field. Barkley also finished the season tied for the conference lead with 15 rushing touchdowns, with Clement not far behind with 13.
But Nittany Lions redshirt sophomore quarterback Trace McSorley knew the Whitehall High School graduate was special well before that.
Hornibrook’s potential absence could have a much smaller effect because the Badgers have rotated between two quarterbacks each of the past six games.
Before we turn to playoff talk, however, there is a championship to be won.
Both teams exceeded expectations to the point that each coach was awarded Big Ten Coach of the Year honors.
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While Wisconsin received some preseason votes in the AP poll, Penn State didn’t receive a single vote from the 61 AP voters and were picked to finish fourth in that same Cleveland.com poll.
