Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1539550
O C T O B E R 2 0 2 5 4 3 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M Northern Illinois the following week. It wouldn't be surprising to see that pattern continue this fall. The Terps are young all over the field. There are sure to be some growing pains, but Washington's progress will bear watching. 12. Michigan State The Spartans have been waiting for Aidan Chiles to develop into one of the Big Ten's better quarterbacks, and he may have taken a big step in that direction in Week 2. The junior threw for 231 yards and a career-best 4 touchdowns to help the host Spartans outlast Boston College, 42-40, in double overtime. Second-year coach Jonathan Smith showed his program-building chops at Oregon State. The Spartans are seek- ing their first bowl berth since 2021, and Chiles' progress gives them a realistic shot. 13. Wisconsin The story of the Badgers' season so far has been the impressive performance of their defense. Anchored by junior line- backer Christian Alliegro, they held Mi- ami (Ohio) to 117 total yards in a 17-0 shutout on opening day. Coming off a 2024 season in which they allowed oppo- nents to convert 39.2 percent of their third downs, a rate than ranked 71st nationally, Wisconsin didn't give up a single conver- sion on 9 attempts. The Badgers may need to keep that up, because the offense has been a mixed bag so far. Graduate quarterback Billy Ed- wards Jr., a Maryland transfer, suffered a lower-body injury against Miami and gave way to sophomore backup Danny O'Neil in a 42-10 win over Middle Ten- nessee State and a 38-14 loss at Alabama. 14. Minnesota The Gophers like to play ball-control offense, and boy, did they do that in a season-opening 23-10 win over Buffalo, maintaining possession for just over 38 minutes and allowing the Bulls to run only 44 plays. Redshirt freshman quarterback Drake Lindsey was impressive, hitting 19 of 35 passes for 290 yards and 2 touch- downs in his first career start. In their first eight seasons under coach P.J. Fleck, the Gophers have posted five winning records and have been to six bowl games. If there's a reason for skepticism this year, it's because they play a very tough schedule, with games against Ohio State (Oct. 4), Iowa (Oct. 25) and Oregon (Nov. 14) all taking place on the road. 15. Rutgers Rutgers won its opener against Ohio, 34-31, maintaining its undefeated record in nonconference games during Greg Schiano's second stint as head coach. Still, it's hard to feel entirely comfortable with a win in which you surrender 440 yards. The Scarlet Knights have a lot to tighten up before the Big Ten season begins. It's easier to feel good about the offense, led by veteran quarterback Athan Kaliak- manis. The fifth-year senior threw for 252 yards and 2 touchdowns versus the Bobcats and followed up by totaling 568 yards and 5 TDs in wins over Miami (Ohio) and Norfolk State. 16. Purdue The Boilermakers found a program- builder with Power Four head coaching experience when they hired former Mis- souri and UNLV mentor Barry Odom last December following a 1-11 finish in 2024. Odom's got a big challenge ahead, espe- cially with in-state rival Indiana surging. He got off to an encouraging start in a 31-0 season-opening win over Ball State. Sophomore quarterback Ryan Browne threw for 311 yards and 2 touchdowns, while senior running back Devin Mocko- bee totaled 104 all-purpose yards. Mock- obee added 126 rushing yards the follow- ing week in a 34-17 win over Southern Illinois, and Browne passed for 305 yards in a 33-17 loss to USC. Upcoming games against Notre Dame (Sept. 20) and Illinois (Oct. 4) figure to provide even tougher tests than the Tro- jans. 17. Northwestern Former SMU quarterback Preston Stone had a nightmarish debut with the Wildcats, tossing 4 interceptions and suffering 3 sacks in a 23-3 loss to visiting Tulane. Stone completed 19 of 36 passes for 161 yards, and Northwestern managed only 237 yards as a team. The fifth-year senior was much better against Western Illinois in Week 2, tossing 3 touchdown passes and no interceptions in a 42-7 rout. The Wildcats need more of that as they look to bounce back from last year's 4-8 finish. 18. UCLA Tennessee transfer Nico Iamaleava caught a lot of flak after an underwhelm- ing debut with the Bruins in which he completed 11 of 22 passes for 136 yards in a 43-10 loss to Utah. Maybe some of it was deserved, but the redshirt sophomore quarterback certainly didn't get much help. UCLA surrendered 4 sacks while rushing for 84 yards. Following the Bruins' dismal opener, Iamaleava told reporters, "The only way is up from here." That turned out not to be entirely true. UCLA fell to UNLV, 30-23, after Iamaleava tossed a late interception, and the wheels came off a week later in a 35-10 home loss to New Mexico. On Sept. 14, head coach DeShaun Foster was fired. It looks like it's going to be a long year in Westwood. ■ STAFF PREDICTIONS Championship Game Champion Offensive POY Defensive POY On The Rise On The Decline Nate Bauer, Website Editor Ohio State vs. Oregon Ohio State Julian Sayin, Ohio State Caleb Downs, Ohio State USC UCLA Thomas Frank Carr, Football Analyst Ohio State vs. Oregon Oregon Dante Moore, Oregon Caleb Downs, Ohio State Illinois Wisconsin Sean Fitz, Website Publisher Penn State vs. Ohio State Ohio State Jeremiah Smith, Ohio State Caleb Downs, Ohio State USC Wisconsin Matt Herb, Managing Editor Ohio State vs. Oregon Oregon Dante Moore, Oregon Caleb Downs, Ohio State Michigan Wisconsin Greg Pickel, Staff Writer Penn State vs. Ohio State Ohio State Jeremiah Smith, Ohio State Caleb Downs, Ohio State Nebraska Iowa Ryan Snyder, Recruiting Reporter Penn State vs. Oregon Penn State Jeremiah Smith, Ohio State Eric Gentry, USC Nebraska Wisconsin