College Football Playoff: Projected top 4 after Week 4

The fourth-ranked Penn State Nittany Lions catapult themselves into the College Football Playoff after their gutsy 21-19 victory over the Iowa Hawkeyes.

It looked like the Hawkeyes would pull off the upset, leading 19-15 with 1:42 remaining in the game. Running back Akrum Wadley ran the ball 35 yards for the lead. The team’s two-point conversion failed.

The only problem was Iowa left too much time on the clock as quarterback Trace McSorley marched down the field to find wide receiver Juwan Johnson in the back of the end zone for the game-winning touchdown.

Running back Saquon Barkley was spectacular as he ran for 211 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown, caught 12 receptions for 94 receiving yards and 53 kick return yards. Barkley made plays all over the field for the Nittany Lions, fueling the offense despite its shortcomings.

Penn State came in averaging 47.0 points per game but faced a tough Iowa Hawkeyes defense. Iowa held Penn State to just five points in the first half, two of them coming on special teams. The Nittany Lions still had 579 total yards of offense and 29 first downs in the game, but points came at a premium.

They overcame the odds to remain undefeated on the season and are now 1-0 in Big Ten play. They’re easily the favorite to beat the Ohio State Buckeyes after this win.

Penn State faces Indiana in Week 5 as they return home.