Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1539550
4 0 O C T O B E R 2 0 2 5 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M beat a No. 1-ranked opponent in his first college start. Once he and Smith hit their stride, Ohio State will be hard to stop. 2. Oregon Oregon won the Big Ten championship last year after splurging on one-and-done quarterback Dillon Gabriel. Now, it's try- ing to defend that title by building around another elite transfer, former UCLA sig- nal-caller Dante Moore. The Ducks' free-spending approach to talent acquisition has irritated rival coaches, notably Oklahoma State's Mike Gundy, who grumbled about their pay- roll a few days before his team traveled to Eugene. When Oregon's Dan Lanning clapped back, it was not to dispute Gun- dy's facts but to advise the Cowboys to pony up. "If you want to be a top-10 team in college football," Lanning said, "you had better be invested in winning." The Ducks are fully invested, and it's paying off. Moore completed 78.1 percent of his passes for 657 yards through three games, with 7 touchdowns and 1 inter- ception. Meanwhile, Florida State trans- fer Malik Benson had 11 catches for 161 yards, and Purdue transfer Dillon Thiene- man was among the team's tackling lead- ers with 11 stops and a pass breakup from his safety spot. Those performances helped Oregon outscore Montana State and Oklahoma State by a combined margin of 128-16. The Ducks' 34-14 win at Northwestern was less lopsided, but they still appear loaded this year. 3. Penn State The Nittany Lions didn't really do any- thing in the nonconference campaign to dampen the enthusiasm about their po- tential this season. That said, they didn't do much to boost it, either. As expected, the Lions took care of business against Nevada, Florida International and Villa- nova. Those performances left Penn State with a 3-0 record but with a lot still to prove heading into their Big Ten opener against visiting Oregon. The rematch of last year's Big Ten Championship Game should be a thriller, and it could play an outsized role in decid- ing whether one of these teams makes a return trip to Indianapolis in December. Penn State appears to have upgraded its wideout corps, last year's biggest liability. Senior transfers Kyron Hudson, Trebor Peña and Devonte Ross had combined to make 32 catches for 399 yards and 3 touchdowns in PSU's first three games. If their chemistry with senior quarterback Drew Allar produces the desired results, the Lions will have a chance to claim the league title that eluded them last year. 4. Illinois This looks like the best team that Bret Bielema has put together since arriv- ing in Champaign nearly five years ago, which means it's probably the best Illi- nois team in a generation. The Illini have a seasoned quarterback in fifth-year se- nior Luke Altmyer, along with one of the league's deeper running back rotations and a sturdy defense highlighted by se- nior edge rusher Gabe Jacas and senior linebacker Dylan Rosiek, the latter having returned from a broken leg that ended his 2024 season prematurely. The Illini face a challenging start to their Big Ten season, with a trip to Indiana coming up on Sept. 20, followed by visits from USC the following week and Ohio State on Oct. 11. But they pounded Duke on the road, 45-19, in Week 2, showing that they're a legitimate threat to make the CFP. 5. Michigan Don't sleep on the Wolverines. They may have been an afterthought in 2024, thanks mainly to a scattershot perfor- mance by their quarterbacks, but their defense, rushing attack and kicking game were playoff-caliber. Michigan appears to be playoff-caliber in many respects this year, too … and it may have found some answers at the po- sition that doomed it last fall. The Wolverines threw a pile of cash at quarterback Bryce Underwood, prying him away from LSU late in the 2025 cycle. The five-star true freshman impressed in a season-opening 34-17 win over New Mexico and showed flashes of potential on the road in a 24-13 loss to Oklahoma. One other factor to bear in mind regard- ing Michigan's outlook is that they play one of the easier schedules in the Big Ten. No Oregon. No Penn State. No Indiana. Indiana defensive end Mikail Kamara had 2 tackles for loss, a sack and a quarterback hurry in the Hoosiers' first three games this season. PHOTO BY TRENT BARNHART/INDIANA ATHLETICS