Penn State Football is Big Ten Front-Runner, College Football Analyst Says
On Fox’s Big Noon kickoff show Saturday, college football analyst Matt Leinart called Penn State Football the front runner in the Big Ten after five weeks of play.
“If we’re talking about who you’ve beaten and how you’ve looked,” Leinart said. “It’s Penn State for me. They’re the only team with four double-digit wins against Power-5 teams.”
Leinart went on to mention that the Nittany Lions have arguably the “best defense in the country.”
While Leinart notes that Penn State is “not there yet” offensively, but notes that all three top teams, Michigan, Penn State, and Ohio State have questions at this point in the season.
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Penn State Football still must play the other two top teams mentioned by Leinart and the rest of the Big Noon crew, Michigan and Ohio State, later this season so the debate between the three will be sorted out on the field.
After the week six bye for Penn State, the Nittany Lions have a tune up game against the University of Massachusetts at home before traveling to Columbus to take on the Buckeyes. Penn State has not won in Columbus since 2011, and has not beaten the Buckeyes since 2016, the year that Penn State last won the Big Ten conference.
If Penn State Football wants to stay a front runner for the conference championship, James Franklin‘s team must knock off the Buckeyes in two weeks to control their destiny for a long-awaited return to Indianapolis.
Matt Leinart is picking Penn State as the front runner to win the Big10 this year. ????
“If we’re talking about who you’ve beaten and how you’ve looked, it’s Penn State for me. They’re the only team with 4 double digit wins against Power 5 teams.” #WeAre #Big10 pic.twitter.com/oISuaocJzH
— State Media (@StateMediaPSU) October 8, 2023
MORE: Penn State’s Schedule Sets Up Perfectly To Buck Major Trend
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Education: Saint Vincent College, Penn State Law School
Location: Washington, DC
Experience:Robert Casturo has covered Penn State football for NittanyCentral since 2022. Casturo previously covered Penn State football through a social media presence (@PSU_FB_Thoughts on X) since 2019. Casturo earned his bachelor's degree from Saint Vincent College in 2015, where he was a punter for 1 season on the Saint Vincent College football team and worked in the athletic department for 2 years as a student manager. Casturo earned his JD from Penn State Law in 2018 where he was a senior editor of the Penn State Law Review.
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