Last-minute expert projections have Penn State and Drew Allar in the crosshairs against Oregon Ducks
If you told Penn State Nittany Lions head coach James Franklin that his program would be the slight favorites and would convert with a win against the Oregon Ducks, he’d be over the moon and accept the opportunity on the spot. Saturday’s game of the week will be a massive one, and a rare Big […]
If you told Penn State Nittany Lions head coach James Franklin that his program would be the slight favorites and would convert with a win against the Oregon Ducks, he’d be over the moon and accept the opportunity on the spot. Saturday’s game of the week will be a massive one, and a rare Big Ten headliner that doesn’t feature Ohio State. Instead, the other two contenders in the conference are facing off in primetime.
Our experts are split on how Oregon vs. Penn State will play out, with the analysis and predictions coming down to quarterback play. While Oregon’s Dante Moore has been terrific against low competition, Penn State’s Drew Allar has been mediocre. Can Allar and Penn State take it up a level when it matters?
The pressure is about to be on Allar and the Nittany Lions.
Penn State slightly favored as Oregon comes to town
Penn State ranks 14th in offensive scoring and third in defensive scoring, though it’s played the second-worst schedule in the nation. Whether they can adjust to a higher level of foe is concerning, no matter how anyone slices it. This Penn State roster is impressive, but it hasn’t dominated as we expected.
A lot of that has to do with Allar and this rebuilt receiving corps not reaching its peak yet. Allar has completed 64.8% of his passes for four scores, but has averaged only 208.7 yards per game against bad teams. That won’t cut it against Oregon, and Allar’s history in big games is worrisome.
That didn’t stop some of our experts from going with the Nittany Lions. As a whole, our team has Penn State edging out Oregon by a cumulative average of 28.75 points to 28. If that rounds up to a 29-28 win, Franklin will be able to pull a big monkey off his back and walk away from this weekend a massive winner.
