Penn State to Face Oregon in Big Ten Title Game After OSU's Stunning Loss to Michigan
Penn State will be playing Oregon for the Big Ten title.
The Nittany Lions cruised to a 44-7 win over visiting Maryland on Saturday night to secure a spot in the conference championship game.
Whichever team wins next Saturday in Indianapolis will receive a spot in the College Football Playoff quarterfinals.
The win marks the first time since 2016 that Penn State has qualified for the Big Ten championship game and the second time under head coach James Franklin.
After fumbling on the first play of the game and allowing Maryland to take an early lead, Penn State rebounded with touchdowns on four consecutive drives in the first half.
Quarterback Drew Allar recorded two total touchdowns while running back Nicholas Singleton ran in two more, as the Nittany Lions' dominant run game helped the home team recover the lead.
Heading into Saturday, it hadn't seemed like that would be enough to earn Penn State a spot in the Big Ten Title game.
That all changed when Michigan upset Ohio State earlier in the day.
The Wolverines defeated the host Buckeyes 13-10 to mark a fourth straight rivalry win while ruining Ohio State's opportunity to clinch the right to play Oregon.
Penn State head coach James Franklin said before the game that his team would be "very, very excited" to take on Oregon for the conference title.
"For us, we want an opportunity to compete as many times as we possibly can this year," Franklin said earlier this week, per On3's Dan Morrison. "If that includes a conference championship game, we would be very, very excited about that opportunity."
There's also the possibility that Penn State could defeat Oregon and enter the playoff with a chance at the No. 1 overall seed.
Ohio State would have needed both Penn State and Indiana to lose to preserve its path to the conference championship game. Indiana meanwhile needed a win and a Penn State loss to qualify for the showdown with Oregon.
The top four seeds in the final CFP rankings earn a first-round bye. Defeating Oregon will allow Penn State to clinch a spot in the quarterfinals of the inaugural 12-team playoff.
The Big Ten championship game will kick off at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis on Saturday, Dec. 7.
