Penn State will look to keep their fading Big 10 title hopes alive with a win over the rival Buckyes of Ohio State. Trailing Iowa by a game and in the tie-breaker the Rose Bowl berth seems pretty faint at this stage but the Nittany Lions have to keep BCS hopes alive if they win out.
Terrelle Pryor was another high profile recruit that got out of the state but in retrospect the Lions have done just fine. Senior QB Daryl Clark has been the class of the Big 10 the last two seasons and is far superior to the still raw talent that is Pryor. Pryor has displayed flashes of brilliance but has not made the notable improvement from the FR to SO year you expect a quarterback to make.
Last year Penn State went to the Horseshow in Colombus and left with a rare victory thanks in part to a key late fumble by Terrelle Pryor that led to a short TD drive by former Lion Pat Devlin. Kevin Kelly added a late FG for the 13-6 final. The win propelled the Lions to the Big 10 championship and Rose Bowl berth.
Penn State will have to win out (vs. Ohio St, vs IU, @ MSU) and have Iowa drop its contest @ Ohio State and an upset home vs NU or Minnesota to get the Rose Bowl berth.
Prediction: Penn St 17 Ohio St 13 – Daryl Clark needs this as the statement win of his career. I expect him to limit the mistakes and lead the Lions potent attack on enough drives to overcome a talented Buckeyes defense. Penn St keeps Big 10 title hopes alive for another week.
