Dan Mullen identifies Penn State as biggest threat to Ohio State in Big Ten

The Ohio State Buckeyes are clearly the top team in the Big Ten this year. They’ve got a loaded roster with weapons all over the place. There’s one big question that everybody wants to know. Who in the Big Ten will be the biggest challenger for the Buckeyes? Ahead of Friday night’s VT-Miami matchup, ESPN’s Dan Mullen shared his thoughts.

“I think it’s Penn State. And I know they haven’t been tested a lot early in this season. But they’re more explosive offensively this year. They have a dynamic duo in the backfield in Singleton and Kaytron Allen. They have a quarterback, Drew Allar, that’s getting the ball down the field finally. With explosive plays,” Mullen explained.

“And we know in big moments, they play well defensively. I think the schedule shapes up well for them. With an opportunity for them to get to the Big Ten Championship game. And if you get into the championship game, it’s a one game shot. You can get that title. I think this is the year Penn State has the opportunity to get into the championship game and then compete against Ohio State,” Mullen finished.

Penn State currently sits at 3-0 on the 2024 campaign. They had some trouble with Bowling Green (34-27), but handled Kent State 56-0. They also opened up the year with a 34-12 win over the West Virginia Mountaineers. So far, Allar has completed 70.7% of his passes for 729 yards, while tossing in eight touchdowns with one interception.

Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen have once again started off well. They’re one of the best backfields in the Big Ten. Singleton has 314 rushing yards and two touchdowns. Allen has 187 rushing yards. Their pass defense (yards per game), rush defense (yards per game), and scoring defense (points per game allowed) all rank in the Top 25 in the country.

Penn State has a big matchup on Saturday. They’ll take on No. 19 Illinois. That one is slated for 7:30 PM EST and the game is nationally televised on NBC.