Big Game in the Big Ten: Will Oregon-Penn State game have CFP implications?

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Week Five in the Big Ten brings a big test at the top.

The sixth-ranked Oregon Ducks visit No. 3 Penn State in the annual White Out game on Saturday.

A lot can happen between now and December, but barring a complete meltdown by either team, the game could have conference championship and College Football Playoff implications.

For Oregon coach Dan Lanning, though, the game will simply be a good indication where the Ducks (4-0, 1-0) are at after four games.

“I think we’ll get a really good gauge of that when we play Penn State. It’s a team that’s obviously extremely talented," Lanning said. “I feel good about our team, I really like our team. This will be a good environment for us to go play in. We’re going to be playing people that have a lot of talent, as well as a good scheme on both sides of the ball. It’ll be a real challenge for us.”

It's also a rematch of last year's Big Ten championship game, which the Ducks won 45-37.

There's a lot of hoopla surrounding the game. It's just the second White Out game involving top 10 teams, with the only other one in 2018 when No. 4 Ohio State beat the ninth-ranked hosts. ESPN's Game Day will be on hand and there's an effort to bring the biggest crowd ever to Beaver Stadium.

It's already the hottest ticket in town.

“I get these text messages from people I haven’t talked to for I don’t know how long,” Penn State coach James Franklin said. “They’re talking about all these other topics. I’m like, ‘All right, get to the point.’ The answer is no. You’ve waited until the last minute to request tickets.”

The excitement is somewhat reminiscent of last year's big midseason conference matchup, when Ohio State was ranked No. 2 and came to Eugene to face third-ranked Big Ten newcomer Oregon. The Ducks announced their conference arrival in a big way, downing the Buckeyes 32-31.

Oregon went on to roll undefeated through the season but the good fortune ran out in the CFP quarterfinals, losing the rematch to Ohio State 41-21 at the Rose Bowl.

Proving that even a loss — or two — may not mean much difference in the end, the Buckeyes went on to win the national championship. And Penn State's lone loss last season before the conference championship was to Ohio State in early November, but the Nittany Lions went all the way to the CFP semifinals.

This season, Oregon, Ohio State (the current No. 1) and Penn State (3-0) are again expected to be the Big Ten's top teams, with perhaps all three again making the CFP field.

As for the conference's other big games to circle on the calendar, Penn State will play at Ohio State on Nov. 1. The Nittany Lions have another tough test a week later on Nov. 8 against current No. 11 Indiana. And Ohio State faces a challenge in the regular-season finale against Michigan at the Big House.

After visiting Penn State, Oregon gets a bye week before hosting Indiana. Oregon and Ohio State don't meet during the regular season this year.

Certainly the Hoosiers can't be counted out. This past weekend Indiana routed then-No. 9 Illinois 63-10 for the team's first win over a top 10 foe in five years. They visit the Ducks on Oct. 11.

“I don’t know,” Indiana coach Curt Cignetti said about his team's potential. “I mean, you guys control all that stuff. I just gotta get them ready. And then we all play our games and see where it shakes out at the end of the year.”

So far, the Big Ten has four undefeated teams after four games: USC, Indiana, Maryland and Oregon. There are also three 3-0 teams: Ohio State, Penn State and Washington.

Seven of the league's teams are ranked. In addition to Oregon, Ohio State, Penn State and Indiana, Illinois fell to No. 23 with the loss to the Hoosiers, Michigan is No. 19 and USC is No. 21.

Ultimately, at least for Ohio State, opponents and `Big Games' are secondary. If the Buckeyes are playing the right way, the wins will come, coach Ryan Day said.

“We want to play a certain way. And when that’s met, we know it’s met. When we’re playing to our standard, we know what that looks like. So we hold ourselves to our standard, not our opponents. And so whether it’s practice or a game, it doesn’t matter who we’re playing. It’s about how we play," Day said. “And then we grade ourselves on that, trying to identify what the issues are regardless of the opponent. And then we go from there.”

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