B1G Takeover Pod

Guaranteed Rate Bowl - Wisconsin v. Oklahoma State

Wisconsin -3, O/U 43

Location: Phoenix, Arizona

Date: December 27th, 10:15 PM ET

Key Storylines:

• Both teams will be without their starting QBs, as Wisconsin QB Graham Mertz and Ok. State QB Spencer Sanders have entered the portal
• Oklahoma State lost the last 4 of 5 games to close out the season
• This will be new Wisconsin HC Luke Fickell’s first game as the HC of the badgers

Stats

Wisconsin Offense

• 91st in total offense
• 53rd rushing offense
• 112th passing offense
• 66th in sacks allowed

Oklahoma State Defense

• 116th in total defense
• 96th in rushing defense
• 114th in passing yards allowed 
• 78th in sacks

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Oklahoma State Offense

• 46th in total offense
• 93rd in rushing offense
• 20th in passing offense
• 71st in sacks allowed

Wisconsin Defense

• 13th in total defense
• 12th in rushing defense
• 29th in passing yards allowed
• 33rd in sacks

Wisconsin’s defense should be stout, even with key players OLB Nick Herbig (11 sacks) and DT Keeanu Benton opting out, they have S John Toricho and LB CJ Goetz to man the defense. Oklahoma State’s offense was based entirely around Spencer Sanders, and with either freshman Garrett Rangel or walk-on Gunnar Gundy starting, the Cowboys offense could be in serious trouble. 

→ Other opt outs : CB Jay Shaw, C Joe Tippman

Oklahoma State’s defense has been in shambles all season, and while Wisconsin’s defense is a mess, they still have a monster at RB with Braelon Allen to be the workhorse, assuming he’s fully healthy.  Senior QB Chase Wolfe would likely get the nod, and he needs to be safe with the football, and hopefully let the Wisconsin rush game wear on the Cowboys, especially with LB Mason Cobb in the portal. 

I think Wisconsin as a program has some excitement to them - Luke Fickell coming in, Braelon Allen staying, and the team playing for Jim Leonard in his last game. I like Wisconsin to cover -3. 

2021: 65% 3,400 yards, 35 TDs 5 INTs

First QB in ACC history to throw for 35 or more TDs and 5 or less TDs

Tennessee

Wisconsin

Notre Dame - Tyler Buchner is there, but Leary is a clear upgrade 

Ohio State

The finale of the college football season is near, which means the Heisman Trophy is upon us. This year there are four candidates, all QBs, and three who are in the playoffs. What looked like a lock in Caleb Williams holding the trophy now has some questions raised, as his Trojans were thoroughly handled in their showdown with Utah in the PAC-12 conference championship. Can the grit shown by Max Duggan propel him? Or the pure statistics of CJ Stroud? Or the legend of Stetson Bennett? Tune in to hear Donovan White’s thoughts! 

This week on the Big 10 Takeover is a preview of the Penn State Nittany Lions. Penn State enters the 2022 season trying to right the wrongs of a second-half collapse last season, where they started off 5-0, but finished 7-6. Their defense carried them in 2021, but with multiple starters off to the NFL, can the offense, led by wide receivers Parker Washington and Mitchell Tinsley, and quarterback Sean Clifford lead the Nittany Lions back to Big 10 contention? 

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2021 Season Review

Penn State started the year off strong at 5-0, with wins against Wisconsin and Auburn, but some of their offensive struggles were already showing. Their run game couldn’t find a true rhythm yet, and QB Sean Clifford wasn’t playing at the highest level Penn State would have hoped for. 

They entered a huge matchup @ Iowa, where their offensive problems finally caught up. Sean Clifford threw for 2 interceptions before leaving the game with an injury, and backup QB Ta’Quan Robinson threw for 2 more when he stepped in. The Nittany Lions had 287 total yards of offense (granted against a very good Iowa defense), but their offense was holding them back. 

The following week, they fell again to Illinois in 9OT, yes NINE overtimes, and the train was starting to come off the track. (227 total yards of offense)

They held their own in Columbus the next week with the Buckeyes, who’s defense allowed Sean Clifford to throw for over 350 yards, but had only 33 rushing yards for the game. 

They closed out the season with wins against Rutgers and Maryland, but losses to Michigan, Michigan State, and Arkansas in their bowl game, finishing 7-6 on the season. 

James Franklin signed a 10 year, $70 million contract extension in November, which seemed somewhat “undeserving” as some Penn State fans called it

2022 Season Preview

Key Departures

WR Jahan Dotson
S Jaquan Brisker
RB Noah Cain (transfer to LSU)
LB Brandon Smith & Ellis Brooks
OT Rasheed Walker
DE Arnold Ebiketie

Key Returners

QB Sean Clifford
WR Parker Washington (840 yards, 4 TDs)
DB Ji’Ayir Brown
OL Juice Scruggs → Figures to move to center
LB Curtis Jacobs → lone returner at LB

New Additions

WR Mitchell Tinsley, WKU (1,407 yards, 14 TDs) Could be HUGE for Penn State
DC Manny Diaz (former HC at Miami FL)

Penn State allowed only 17 PPG last season, which was ranked 6th in the country, but could be hard to replicate with some of their losses on the defensive side. Sean Clifford, Parker Washington, and Mitchell Tinsley will need to step it up for Penn State to be in big 10 contention this year. 

@ Purdue - L
Ohio - W
@ Auburn - W
Central Michigan - W
Northwestern - W
@ Michigan - L 
Minnesota - W
Ohio State - L
@ Indiana - W
Maryland - L
@ Rutgers - W
Michigan State - W

Overall: 8-4