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It's been an impressive season for Penn State with a predictable outcome a few weeks ago when it lost to Ohio State at home. So goes James Franklin's career against top-five teams (1-13) with an ongoing drought dating back to 2016. Oregon has impressed most of the season even if it suffered an odd scare at Wisconsin. Both teams are loaded offensively in what should be a highlight-filled matchup, but the Ducks do have more weapons overall. Even with Franklin's struggles punching up, let's not forget Dan Lanning has made plenty of head-scratching decisions in big games. Head vs. Heart play here. Will be rooting for Penn State to get off the schneid but playing Oregon in what should be the game of Championship Week.
I believe Drew Allar is a season away from being a really, really good Big Ten quarterback. While he has been solid this season, the only defense he's faced that's on Oregon's level is Ohio State. Allar completed 12-of-20 passes for 146 yards and an interception, and the Nittany Lions only scored 13 points against the Buckeyes. I expect a similar type of performance on Saturday.
I may be among the minority, but I am a believer in this Oregon team. The Ducks are built to win on both lines of scrimmage, and I expect something similar for them to what Ohio State did to Penn State in early November (13 points). The Nittany Lions are also a very solid defensive team. This is a game I see both teams finishing with 17-24 points each.
Under James Franklin, Penn State is 1-13 vs. top-5 teams, with their only win coming in 2016 vs. Ohio State. The Nittany Lions are 0-5 SU and 1-4 ATS as an underdog since 2022. But Franklin is 1-0 in conference title games while Dan Lanning is 0-1, losing last year to Washington. Against Oregon, the strategy for Franklin’s team should be to play ball control and keep the potent Ducks offense off the field. Both teams have top-10 scoring defenses, combining to surrender 30.2 points per game. I have a strange feeling that #1 is going down in a lower scoring game than most expect. Penn State 23, Oregon 20.
Team Injuries
