Let the chaos continue. If you’re a fan of upsets, Week 8 of the college football season quenched your thirst. Of course, Illinois’ 24-23 win over Wisconsin headlines the list, as the Badgers dug their own grave in falling as 31-point favorites to the Illini.
Though it seems the Badgers season is finished after the loss, they have as good a chance at redemption that you can hope for as they travel to Columbus this weekend for a matchup with No. 3 Ohio State. The loss does make the Big Ten’s path to the College Football Playoff a bit more complicated, however.
As we saw with Georgia last week, Wisconsin’s loss had a major impact on its AP Poll ranking. With the other top teams taking care of their business, Week 9 may serve as a holdover week for what is already being billed as another Game of the Century.
Michigan Mauling
Two years after setting a Beaver Stadium attendance record in another WhiteOut matchup, Penn State’s 28-21 win over Michigan nearly equaled the mark, coming up just 220 fans shy of the current record set last season against Ohio State.
While it wasn’t the most-attended game in the stadium’s history, it was the most-watched game of Week 8, and once again impressed some of the most prominent people in college football. The Nittany Lions made the game more entertaining than it likely should have been, but ultimately passed their most difficult test so far this season.
After an electric performance against Iowa, Noah Cain was seldom used against the Wolverines. In his stead, another up-and-comer in the backfield put forth a strong performance that may vault his name up the depth chart.
Once again though, the most valuable player to the Nittany Lions lined up out wide, and earned weekly honors for his effort.
Land Grant Retribution
Nick Saban in Land-Grant Trophy games: 2-3
— Land-Grant Trophy (@LandGrantTrophy) October 22, 2019
Nick Saban in National Championships: 6-2
Which is the harder trophy to win? pic.twitter.com/4oT5cg34ex
Penn State’s continued quest for a perfect season continues this Saturday in East Lansing. The game carries some extra significance for the Nittany Lions, who will have a bit of vengeance on their minds when they take the field.
The Spartans will be well-rested when they take the field, and will hope to learn from consecutive losses to Ohio State and Wisconsin.