Week 8 College Football Power Rankings

The Ohio State Buckeyes suffered a crucial loss on Saturday against Penn State, 24-21. This without question was the biggest victory for Penn State in the post-Joe Paterno era. The 100,000 plus fans were all wearing white for the game on Saturday, and the white shirts smothered the field after their upset win against the Buckeyes.

Ohio State took a 12-7 lead into halftime, as neither team scored in the first quarter. Then in the third quarter the Buckeyes outscored the Nittany Lions 9-0, increasing their lead to 21-7 heading into the fourth quarter.

And then disaster happened for Urban Meyer and his young, talented team. They were out-scored 17-0 in the fourth quarter, leading Penn State to their 24-21 victory.

Grant Haley returned a block field goal 60 yards the other way for a touchdown with 4:27 left in the fourth quarter, giving Penn State all the momentum and their lead, never looking back. Then in the ensuing drive the Nittany Lions defense sacked quarterback J.T. Barrett twice to seal the deal.

This was Penn State’s first win over Ohio State since 2011, and their first win against a ranked team under the James Franklin era.

What does this mean for Ohio State?

Well it’s definitely too early for panic for the Buckeyes. Urban Meyer, who has won three national championships (two at Florida, one at Ohio State), has never won a title with an undefeated team. Does that change the situation at the moment? Not really, but it gives Ohio State fans some confidence and reassurance.

What’s next for the Buckeyes?

They have plenty of time to prove themselves to voters.

In two weeks they host Nebraska, and then two weeks after that they travel to Michigan State before playing Michigan at home. Ohio State fans are forced to cheer for Nebraska and Michigan, at least until the last week of the regular season. Which is rather odd obviously, as it’s safe to say both Michigan and Ohio State are  not too fond of each other, but the Buckeyes need Michigan to come in undefeated before playing them. Why? It looks a hell of a lot better to beat an undefeated Michigan team instead of a one-loss Michigan team.

There’s no need to panic in Columbus, but the loss at Penn State could potentially be the reason why the Buckeyes are once again left out of the College Football Playoff.

Next Matchup: Northwestern