Penn State football is going to the Big Ten Championship, folks.

What started out as a relatively mundane rivalry week for the Nittany Lions quickly turned into a game with huge implications as Michigan upset Ohio State and opened a path to the championship for the Nittany Lions.

After an early Maryland score, Penn State never looked back and cruised to a 44-7 victory over the Terrapins, cementing its first appearance in the Big Ten Championship since 2016.

Abdul Carter Is The Regular-Season Defensive MVP 

CJ Doebler: Abdul Carter has absolutely been one of the best players on the defense, but the defensive line as a whole has been a big part of the Nittany Lions’ success this season.

Carter leads the team in sacks with 10, with Dani Dennis-Sutton in second with four. Nationally, Penn State’s defense ranks 27th in sacks with 32 on the season. Carter ended the regular season with two sacks against Maryland on a day when the defensive line had its way with the Terrapin offense. Penn State’s strength on defense is its line, and Carter has been one of its best players.

Mitch Corcoran: Carter has been one of the best defensive players in the country. His 10 sacks this season are tied for the 12th-most in the nation and his 19.5 tackles for loss are the third-most. He’s also Penn State’s fourth-leading tackler, has three pass deflections, and has forced two fumbles this season.

However, my defensive MVP is Jaylen Reed. Reed has made several game-changing interceptions this season, including a pick-six in the second half against Wisconsin. Reed leads the team in tackles and has 1.5 sacks, two pass breakups, a forced fumble, and a fumble recovery.

But the biggest thing for me is Reed isn’t playing his original position. Reed was originally the defense’s nickelback, but when KJ Winston got injured, he moved to safety and has been one the best in the country.

Nolan Wick: Carter’s 10 solo sacks are tied for No. 12 nationally and lead the Nittany Lions. His 19.5 tackles for loss are first on the team, and he’s second with seven quarterback hurries. Meanwhile, his 54 tackles are fourth on the team.

Carter’s transition from linebacker to defensive end has been seamless. I’d give defensive MVP to him and have Reed in second, who leads Penn State with 75 tackles and three interceptions.

Give Tyler Warren All The Awards

CJ: James Franklin continues to come up with new ways to say that Tyler Warren is the best player in the country. After Maryland on Saturday, Franklin said that the Mackey Award trophy should be put on a plane and flown to State College that same night.

While Warren is in contention for a host of awards, he might not win any. Regardless, Warren is one of the more versatile players to ever come out of the Penn State tight end room.

Mitch: Warren has been one of the best, if not, the best Penn State tight end of all time this season. He has broken numerous school records, been the biggest threat on the offense, and been nominated for multiple awards. However, it is unlikely he’ll win any of them.

The two awards Warren has the best chance to win are the Hornung Award and the Mackey Award. However, he will be challenged by Travis Hunter and Harold Fannin Jr. for the awards, and both are having incredible seasons for their respective teams.

Nolan: Few non-quarterbacks can take over a game the way Warren can. Hunter and Ashton Jeanty may be the only ones this season. He’s the best tight end in the country, so give him the Mackey Award and send him to New York.

There’s a reason we at Onward State have so much to say about Warren because he’s truly a special talent. He still isn’t getting the buzz he deserves, but how he performs in the Big Ten Championship and the College Football Playoff with the entire country watching could change that.

Drew Allar Still Hasn’t Hit His Ceiling

CJ: Drew Allar has been everything the Nittany Lions needed him to be this year, but I still think there’s room for more development before he takes a shot at the NFL sometime in the next few years.

Once again, it all comes down to the weapons around him. Allar had a reliable target in Warren this year, and the pair connected often on the way to a historic season for the tight end. If Allar has a few receivers to make plays for him next year once Warren’s gone, the Allar hype might return louder than ever.

Mitch: I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: Allar will hit his ceiling when he gets good receivers. It’s unacceptable that Penn State’s leading receiver, yardage-wise, is 159th in the nation. That’s four spots behind Ohio State’s No. 3 receiver, Carnell Tate, and one spot behind Oregon’s third-leading receiver, Traeshon Holden.

Allar has 2,668 yards, 18 touchdowns, and five interceptions, and has completed 71.6% of his passes with a tight end as his top receiver. Thank goodness for Tyler Warren because Penn State has a lot of threes, fours, and fives at wide receivers and not any ones and twos.

Nolan: Allar’s rise under Andy Kotelnicki is a big step forward from last season. His 71.6% completion rate is fifth-best in college football, and he has 2,668 passing yards. At worst, he’s an efficient game manager. He’s a good receiving corps away from being in the Heisman conversation, which I think is possible.

The Late Touchdown Pass Was Unsportsmanlike

CJ: I’m torn. On one hand, I understand the motivation to let the reserves play rather than lining up to take a knee. The last play of the game was Tyseer Denmark’s first collegiate touchdown, and it’s something he’s going to remember for a long time. On the other hand, I also like respect, and I feel very little of that was shown when Pribula looked toward the end zone on fourth down.

That’s not to say that Franklin isn’t typically sportsmanlike on the football field, though. He stopped a flag-planting in the Coliseum when the Nittany Lions beat USC in overtime, and we saw last Saturday how much of a catalyst that can be for an ugly scene.

Of course, Maryland could’ve just stopped Penn State’s backups from scoring. Maybe it’s the person in me who had a 38-7 graphic ready to post, but I wasn’t a big fan of the call.

Mitch: I’m fine with the touchdown play. I don’t know if I would’ve done the same thing in Franklin’s position, but I know if I was on Maryland’s side, I would be more upset with my starters getting toasted by a bunch of backups and freshmen rather than the decision to go for the touchdown.

I think it’s important to get the reserves in-game reps against starters because that’s the best way to develop them. At the same time, I understand why Mike Locksley was upset with the decision when taking a knee would’ve just ended the game.

Nolan: Franklin made two great points about this postgame. First, he said his backups deserve to play football once they’re in the game instead of taking a knee. Second, and perhaps more importantly, scoring as many points as possible is pivotal because he can’t rule out the playoff committee taking win margins into account when seeding teams.

I don’t have a problem with Beau Pribula’s last-second touchdown pass because of those reasons. I do understand why Locksley was upset, but that shouldn’t matter when Penn State is trying to put itself in the best possible position for what lies ahead. Maybe next time, he’ll have his defense more prepared to play against freshmen backups.

Penn State Has No Shot At Winning The Big Ten Championship

CJ: When you play the No. 1 team in the country, it’s obviously going to be one of the toughest games on the schedule. The Nittany Lions have looked like a playoff-caliber team all year, and if this year’s season has taught us anything, it’s that absolutely any team can win at any time.

The Nittany Lions go to Indianapolis as 3.5-point underdogs, and the undefeated Ducks have rarely had any missteps this year. That doesn’t mean they aren’t a beatable team, though. James Franklin will have the Nittany Lions ready, and the Big Ten Championship is going to be close.

Mitch: False. At the time of this writing, ESPN is giving Penn State a 53.8% chance of winning. I think that percentage is a little optimistic for the Nittany Lions, but they can 100% take home the title.

Oregon may be 12-0, but it has won three one-score games and two of those games were against unranked opponents. The Ducks are not 2019 LSU or 2001 Miami, but they are a very solid team that is still beatable.

Nolan: ESPN giving the Nittany Lions a 53.8% chance of winning while Vegas has them as 3.5-point underdogs is far from a guarantee Oregon takes home the Big Ten title. Penn State has a legitimate shot to win this game.

Penn State has the No. 4-ranked total defense, while Oregon’s is No. 7. The Nittany Lions’ No. 19-ranked total offense trails the Ducks’ No. 15-ranked group, but there are caveats. Tom Allen’s defense generally limited opponents’ elite playmakers in the regular season. Additionally, if Andy Kotelnicki’s offense took Ohio State’s No. 1-ranked defense to the brink and defeated Minnesota’s No. 8-ranked group, it can do so against Oregon.

Having said all of this, though, Oregon will be Penn State’s biggest challenge so far. Although a win seems unlikely, counting the Nittany Lions out would be asinine.