Penn State's bye week is winding to a close.

It's been anything but a quiet week so far. PJ Mustipher is out for the year, there are otherwise no updates on injured Nittany Lions, including starting quarterback Sean Clifford, and there is a clear disagreement between James Franklin and Kirk Ferentz about what a rat smells like, or something like that. Oh, and Pat Narduzzi agrees with Franklin and has said so in public.

That’s the kind of off week it has been.

The loss to the Hawkeyes is in the rearview mirror, and the staff is out recruiting until Saturday night while the players finish their academic obligations today and then have about 48 hours to do whatever they'd like.

In this edition of Friday's Fifth Quarter, we're zeroing in on a quintet of thoughts and predictions about what we've seen so far and what's to come as Penn State prepares for the second half of the season.

Click back to just about any preseason prediction you can find, and you'll see a lot of 8-4 and 9-3 picks in terms of guesses for Penn State's final regular season record.

Those could still be right, of course, as a brutal slate of games remain, but that would also require losses to two of Illinois, Rutgers, Maryland plus one other setback on the year, and it feels like a safe bet that to say that isn't happening if Sean Clifford can return.

There were many questions to answer about this team back in the summer, so the record projections weren't insane then. It'd be a lie to say anyone saw this kind of stellar defense coming from Brent Pry's group, and the special teams have been mostly terrific, as well. Add in an improved Clifford who has led a fine Nittany Lions attack when healthy despite a very inconsistent rushing attack, and you have all the ingredients to outperform preseason expectations, which is what this team has done so far.

Let's face it: If you had put money on the possibility of two Big Ten teams making the College Football Playoff prior to the games beginning, you'd be sitting on a pretty awesome ticket.

Where does this conversation even begin? We know that many don't believe they deserve it, but regardless, who could have thought six weeks ago that the league's highest-ranked team would be Iowa at No. 2? What were the odds on Michigan and Michigan State joining Penn State and Ohio State in the top-10 at the halfway mark, and that both would be unbeaten at this point in time?

The Big Ten East race is going to be incredible to watch play out, as all the top teams play each other in October and November to decide things on the field prior to a meeting with the West representative, which almost certainly will be the Hawkeyes. Unlike years past, it isn't the SEC that has the most intrigue at this point. Instead, it's the Big Ten, which is a mighty big surprise.

Some of these might be going out on a limb. Others certainly are not:

--Sean Clifford will play in, at minimum, five of Penn State's last six regular season games.

--Keyvone Lee is currently the team's leading rusher with 204 yards, but Noah Cain has the most carries at 67 to Lee's 38. The latter will lead both by season's end.

--Jahan Dotson will finish with 12 touchdown receptions, and Parker Washington will have 50-plus catches.

--Bryce Effner will start at least one of the remaining games along the offense line.

--Penn State will run for a season-high in yards against Illinois but the ground game will never be something that can be relied upon from there despite showing moderate improvements from one half of the season to the other.

Related: Penn State football offense roundtable: Best and worst from the PSU offense

--Jesse Luketa (4.5) will close the gap on Arnold Ebiketie (nine) in the tackles for loss department, but the latter will still have the most at the end of the year. We'll call it 15.

--Ji'Ayir Brown will continue to lead the team interception race. He currently has three and will finish with six.

--Ellis Brooks will outfinish the next highest tackle total on the team by at least 10. Currently, he has 44 to Ebiketie's 37.

--D'von Ellies and Coziah Izzard will impress while replacing P.J. Mustipher and finish with five sacks between them.

More: Picking PSU's bests, worsts, and MVPs on defense after six weeks

--The Lions will only lose once again, at Ohio State, and finish 10-2 and in a New Year's Six bowl. The closest game other than that one will be at home against Michigan, while Michigan State will be a more comfortable victory than expected. Too many are overlooking the Spartans' conference-worst pass defense, and that will ultimately do them in.

--The Buckeyes will beat everyone else, including Michigan, to set up a conference title game opposite Iowa, which they will win by 17 points, minimum, to again earn a College Football Playoff spot.

--Jaquan Brisker will be a first-team All-American while Jordan Stout, Jahan Dotson, and Arnold Ebiketie will earn either second-team or honorable mention nods from at least one publication each.

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