The Penn State Nittany Lions were off in week three after a week two win over Bowling Green but there was plenty of football taking place around the country. What appeared to be a potentially boring week on paper, actually turned out to be quite a fun one.
So how did Penn State's opponents the remainder of this season perform in week three? Happy Valley Insider takes a look below.
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Week 4 (Sep. 21) - Kent State Flashes: 71-0 loss to Tennessee
If anyone was tracking the score of this game then you know Tennessee could've legitimately scored 100 points if they wanted to. The Volunteers found themselves leading 65-0 at halftime and took their foot off the gas in the second half, only scoring six points to ultimately win 71-0. The Volunteers had 740 total yards of offense in the game and averaged 9.3 yards per play.
Kent State's offense had zero success as the score would indicate, with just 112 yards of total offense and 2.3 yards per play.
Penn State isn't going to beat Kent State by 70 this upcoming Saturday, probably and they're definitely not going to score 65 points in the first half. That being said, if the Nittany Lions have any sort of struggles against the Flashes this upcoming weekend, it would be very concerning. Penn State should absolutely win this game by 45+ points and that's probably on the lower end of the scale.
Week 5 (Sep. 28) - Illinois Fighting Illini: 30-9 win over Central Michigan
Illinois continue their strong start to the season with a 30-9 win over Central Michigan. The Illini's defense has been fantastic through three weeks allowing a total of 26 points. Their offense has been solid as well. Coming into the season, there were low expectations around Bret Bielema's program outside Champaign and while there's still a long way to go, the Illini definitely appear to be better than anticipated. The Illini will have a short week to get ready for a road date with the Nebraska Cornhuskers on Friday.
Week 6 (Oct. 5) - UCLA Bruins: 42-13 loss to Indiana
On one hand, Curt Cignetti's Indiana Hoosiers continue to look excellent through the early portion of the season. On the other hand, the UCLA Bruins certainly appear to be in for a long season.
After struggling against Hawaii in week one, the Bruins were completely outmatched by Indiana on Saturday and the Indiana passing attack completely picked apart the Bruins defense to the tune of 307 passing yards and four touchdowns.
The schedule doesn't get any easier for Deshaun Foster's program as they'll travel to LSU next weekend before taking on Oregon in week five and then will make the trip to Happy Valley on October 5.
Week 7 (Oct. 12) - USC Trojans: BYE
Like Penn State, USC was on a bye this weekend after a 48-0 win over Utah State last weekend. LSU certainly doesn't appear to be that great of a team this season after narrowly escaping Columbia with a win over South Carolina, so the strength of that week one win is still a bit of a mystery. That being said, this Trojans team is a legitimate contender in the Big Ten with an improved defense and a highly explosive offense.
They'll be on the road for the first time as a Big Ten program this weekend when they take on Michigan.
Week 9 (Oct. 26) - Wisconsin Badgers: 42-10 loss to Alabama
The Luke Fickell experiment in Wisconsin continues to be a bumpy ride and on Saturday, playing host to an Alabama squad that just struggled with USF, the Badgers were completely dominated. The Badgers defense had no answers for Alabama's passing attack and struggled stopping their rushing attack en route to allowing over 400 yards of total offense in the loss. The Wisconsin offense struggled for the most part as well and notably lost starting quarterback Tyler Van Dyke, potentially for the long term.
The Badgers will be off in week four before taking on USC in Los Angeles on September 28. They'll then have Purdue, Rutgers, and Northwestern before welcoming Penn State to Camp Randall on October 26.
Week 10 (Nov. 2)- Ohio State Buckeyes: BYE
The Buckeyes were off this weekend and will play host to Marshall this upcoming Saturday as Fox' Big Noon Kickoff game. Through their first two games of the season, the Buckeyes have outscored their opponents 108-6.
Week 11 (Nov. 9) - Washington Huskies: 24-19 loss to Washington State
In the Apple Cup rivalry game, the Huskies fell to rival Washington State 24-19. Despite totaling 450 total yards of offense, the Huskies were able to find the end zone just once in the game while settling for field goals. While still a quality team, it's clear that in year one of the Jedd Fisch era that the Huskies are a far cry from the national runner up team that they had a year ago. Next up for Washington is their first Big Ten game, a home matchup with the Northwestern Wildcats.
Week 12 (Nov. 16) - Purdue Boilermakers: 66-7 loss to Notre Dame
Poor Purdue was on the receiving end of a Notre Dame team looking to take no prisoners after a shocking loss to Northern Illinois last weekend. The Fighting Irish came out with a point to prove in the game, finding themselves up 42-0 at halftime. The Fighting Irish had a field day on the ground, averaging 8.2 yards per rush while totaling 362 yards for the game. The Boilermakers offense totaled just 162 total yards in the game, averaging just 3.3 yards per play. Purdue will look for a bounce back win this upcoming weekend on the road as they travel to Corvallis, Oregon to take on Oregon State who just got their own bell rung by Oregon to the tune of 49-14.
Week 13 (Nov. 23) - Minnesota Golden Gophers: 27-0 win over Nevada
For the second straight week, Minnesota pitched a shutout. After defeating Rhode Island 48-0 in week two, the Golden Gophers put in another dominant defensive effort against Nevada. While their defense isn't likely as strong as it has appeared over the past two weeks, it still is much improved from a season ago. The offense has life this year, unlike in 2023 thanks to not just star running back Darius Taylor but an effective and efficient quarterback in Max Brosmer. This could end up being a sneaky challenging game for the Nittany Lions potentially depending on weather. The Gophers now 2-1 on the season will face the Iowa Hawkeyes this Saturday.
Week 14 (Nov. 30) - Maryland Terrapins: 27-13 win over Virginia
Maryland bounced back from a loss to Michigan State in week two to defeat Virginia 27-13 on Saturday behind a 20-0 second half effort. After having no offensive success in the first half, the Terrapins found their footing in the second half of the game. Mike Locksley's program will now face Villanova in week four before traveling to Indiana on September 28.
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