Suddenly, Penn State football is off this week.

The Nittany Lions are in the first of its two bye weeks this year with the second one between the October 12 matchup at USC and the October 26 road game against Wisconsin.

Although we aren’t at the point of the season when there are several matchups with serious Big Ten and/or College Football Playoff implications, there are some matchups and opponents that could theoretically affect Penn State down the road.

Who To Root For

The matchup with the greatest potential to affect the Nittany Lions is at noon on Saturday in Madison, Wisconsin. Wisconsin hosts No. 4 Alabama in a Big Ten-SEC showdown. Root for Luke Fickell’s Badgers. They’ll likely become ranked if they win, and a Penn State victory in next month’s game would be a nice addition to a resumé that isn’t comprised of that hard of a schedule. Plus, a Crimson Tide loss could help the Nittany Lions move up in next week’s AP Poll.

Who To Root Against

Speaking of flukes, Michigan’s loss against Texas was not one. Now ranked No. 17, the Wolverines have struggled offensively in their first two games. That’s natural with so many key pieces from last year’s team gone, but it’s nice to see the program come back to earth from a Penn State perspective. Not only does it satisfy fans, but Michigan not being a problem for at least this season makes a potential albeit unlikely Big Ten title run easier. Keep rooting against the Wolverines, who hosts Arkansas State this week.

Keeping it in the Big Ten, No. 9 Oregon plays Oregon State this week. Oregon is quickly going to become a problem in this conference and the College Football Playoff seedings. With Penn State just one spot ahead, a big Ducks win may convince the AP Poll to let Oregon leapfrog the Nittany Lions.

Another interesting matchup is No. 24 Boston College at No. 6 Missouri. The Tigers and Nittany Lions should likely compete for a College Football Playoff seed between No. 6 and No. 12, so root against Eli Drinkwitz’s team for now. Mizzou’s rebuild has been a fun story recently, as long as it’s not at Penn State’s expense.

With so many teams not playing this week and given the bye week’s timing, it was hard to find many truly meaningful games for Penn State. But having said that, hopefully, this guide helps you determine what to throw on TV from the comfort of your home, the bar, or anywhere besides Beaver Stadium.