Bo Nickal is back in action tonight; which College Football Playoff tier is Penn State in?: Newsstand
Penn State news, notes, and updates for Sept. 26 include Bo Nickal returning to MMA action plus where the Lions are as a CFP contenders and more.
It’s time to dive into Tuesday’s top tweets and headlines about the Lions and athletics.
Penn State tweets of the day
We start with another MMA appearance for Bo Nickal. The former Penn State wrestling great fights Donovan Beard in Dana White’s Contender Series Tuesday night on ESPN+. He competes in the 185-pound weight class and is undefeated professionally. He is aiming to earn a UFC contract by continuing to thrive in mixed martial arts.
“Bring it, I’m ready to go,” Nickal told ESPN MMA. “A lot of dude likes to talk and say crazy stuff how ‘I’m only 2-0, I don’t have experience, I’ve never been in there’. You’ve never done what I’ve done, you’re not a three-time national champion, you didn’t compete for the greatest collegiate programme in college wrestling history. You didn’t train since you were five years old, I grew up doing this, this is what I live for.
“I train everyday, I put the work in and for them to be coming at me saying I don’t know what it feels like is outlandish. I competed in a sold-out Maddison Square Garden at 18 years old, who else is doing that? At the end of the day it’s a little crazy for guys to talk that way but the result will prove themselves.”
In other news, ESPN’s Heather Dinnich ranked the current College Football Playoff contenders. She put them in tier four, which is ‘undefeated teams who need to show more.’
Top 10
- 1New
Tom Brady helped land QB
Michigan got assist on Underwood
- 2
MSU TE hospitalized
Jack Velling injured on first possession
- 3
Rhett Lashlee
SMU coach gets extension
- 4
Justin Fields
OSU legend to make CGD picks
- 5Hot
Bryce Underwood
Michigan flips No. 1 QB Bryce Underwood from LSU
“Penn State’s offense is improving with quarterback Sean Clifford, a key being that it has found some help in the running game,” Dinnich writes.
“The Nittany Lions have the schedule to impress the committee, but that’s a double-edged sword. If they’re good enough to beat Ohio State and Michigan and win the Big Ten, they’ll be good enough to finish in the top four.”
Headlines of the day
Penn State’s Kaytron Allen named Big Ten Freshman of the Week: Flounders, PennLive
Top Penn State prospect Quinton Martin updates his recruitment following busy September: Snyder, BWI
First Look: Penn State Vs. Northwestern: Wogenrich, SI
The weekly rundown: What to make of Penn State after a 4-0 start: Pickel, BWI
College Football Power Rankings: Tennessee leaps into top 10 as Penn State, Florida State, Kansas join: Dodd, CBS Sports
Penn State football redshirt report: Which freshmen have played over the first four weeks?: Pickel, BWI
Penn State punter Barney Amor’s story sounds fictional, but it’s not: Scarcella, Reading Eagle
Confirmed list of recruiting visitors for Penn State’s game against Central Michigan: Snyder, BWI
Big Ten Power Rankings: Traditional powerhouses hold serve in Week 4: On3
Quote of the day
“I probably talk to them every other day. I talk to Coach Terry [Smith], I talk to their running backs coach, [Chris Mahon], Coach [James] Franklin. Our bond hasn’t gone anywhere. If anything, it’s just getting stronger.”
—Four-star Class of 2024 running back Quinton Martin on Penn State.