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Kirk Herbstreit: Penn State feels 'forgotten' ahead of Big Ten Championship vs. Oregon

Barkley-Truaxby: Barkley Truax12/07/24BarkleyTruax
ESPN analyst Kirk Herbstreit
Kirk Herbstreit (Alex Martin / USA TODAY Sports)

Kirk Herbstreit believes Oregon is “special,” but also sees Saturday as a great opportunity for Penn State to remind fans why they’re the No. 3 team in the country heading into conference championship week.

Penn State earned its way into the Big Ten title game vs. Oregon after Ohio State‘s upset loss to Michigan on Saturday. After the Nittany Lions lost the head-to-head against the Buckeyes, their chances at being in this matchup seemed out of the question. Now that they’re the opportunity has presented itself, and are likely in the CFP no matter the outcome, Oregon is going to get Penn State’s best shot in Indianapolis.

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“They’re kind of a kind of a team that feels a little bit forgotten,” Herbstreit said of the Nittany Lions. “I think everybody assumed Ohio State would be there playing Oregon in a rematch. Ohio State lost [to Oregon] by one point. I think people, a lot of people, just aren’t really giving Penn State much credence after they lost to Ohio State at home.

“This a huge stage, a huge opportunity for them. … Dan Lanning, he’s made a point of making sure this is not about pretty uniforms and flash and dash. This is about an attitude of physicality. He did it last year. Those guys came very close. Remember, they couldn’t quite get over the hump against Washington, and now they bring a lot of those guys back for this team, and I think they’re very confident team, but I like Penn State’s physicality.”

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Herbstreit preached physicality for Penn State on both lines of scrimmage if they want to have a shot to do what no other team has done this season and best the unbeaten Ducks. He’s worried about Oregon’s up-tempo offense based on the Nittany Lions’ lack of speed on the perimeter.

Still, he doesn’t believe fans should count Penn State out of this matchup: “I think it’s going to be a much better game than a lot of people think,” he said.

Kickoff between the Nittany Lions and Ducks is set for 8 p.m. ET live from Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. Vegas has the Ducks a 3.5-point favorites heading into the Big Ten Championship game.