At the start of the 2025 season, it was reasonable to wonder where Penn State would play after earning their first College Football Playoff bye. At worst, the most likely outcome appeared to be hosting a first-round game for the second season in a row.

Penn State entered the 2025 season with realistic national championship expectations behind a veteran-laden roster and the No. 2 spot in the preseason Associated Press Top 25, but those hopes quickly vanished.

Penn State is looking for a new head coach after firing James Franklin. Find out why one Big Ten coach is being floated as a top candidate at Penn State in the latest college football rumors.

The No. 1 team standing in ESPN’s FPI college football rankings are the Ohio State Buckeyes, who defeated the Illinois Fighting Illini 34-16. The Buckeyes have two ranked victories so far this season. Ohio State defeated then-No. 1 Texas and No. 17 Illinois.

Penn State football needed a miracle drive in the final minutes against Northwestern, trailing 22-21 after the Wildcats grabbed a fourth-quarter lead. Then everything changed when quarterback Drew Allar went down clutching his lower left leg with just under four minutes remaining.

The Penn State Nittany Lions take their first shot at righting their ship Saturday at Beaver Stadium against the Northwestern Wildcats.

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The Nittany Lions (3-3, 0-3 Big Ten) have now lost three games in a row following a 3-0 start to the season. Penn State was ranked No. 2 in the country as recently as the Sept. 21 US LBM Coaches Poll. However, following a loss to No. 5 Oregon, it has lost back-to-back games to unranked UCLA and Northwestern (4-2, 2-1).