Here we go again, folks.

Penn State was once ranked No. 2 in the nation. Those days seem like distant memories at this point after back-to-back disappointing losses, including last week’s inexcusable defeat in the Rose Bowl to UCLA.

The Bruins went into Saturday’s matchup at 0-4. They hadn’t held a lead all season before facing the Nittany Lions. With a brand new interim head coach announced just days prior, Penn State was gashed over and over again. Quarterback Nico Iamaleava had 294 all-purpose yards and five touchdowns, including three on the ground. Penn State was sloppy in all facets of the game, leaving fans in a rage considering the Nittany Lions’ preseason hype.

This week, Penn State takes on the Northwestern Wildcats. What originally would have been viewed as an easy win for the home team has now become uncertain, as the Nittany Lions will need to win out in order to have a chance at a College Football Playoff berth. Our staff is not as confident as they once were, but they predict Penn State to scrape by in week seven.

Cadyn Gill (4-1): Penn State 30, Northwestern 20

While I’m still extremely annoyed that Penn State spoiled my perfect prediction record, it’s not enough for me to pick Northwestern. The Nittany Lions putting up a stinker wouldn’t shock me, because nothing about this team could shock me after losing to 0-4 UCLA.

This weekend, I’m picking Penn State solely off the fact that their blood should be boiling after essentially eliminating themselves from the College Football Playoff by week six.

This team SHOULD come out aggressively and honestly, play freely, now that the expectations are lower than they’ve been in years. I’d love to see Drew Allar sling it around the field and rack up passing yards to his Big Three of Peña, Ross, and Hudson.

The defense will be bad. It won’t play its gaps. It will miss tackles. But it SHOULD be able to hang on to beat the Wildcats.

Fernando Martinez Ruiz De Esparza (3-2): Penn State 31, Northwestern 17

Well, folks, this is as rough as it can get being a Penn State fan.

After starting the season as the No. 2 team in the country and 3-0, the Nittany Lions, in the blink of an eye, are no longer ranked after back-to-back losses against Oregon and UCLA. The loss to UCLA was one of the worst in program history as the Bruins headed into that game with so much turmoil. They were winless through four games, fired their head coach about a month ago, and hadn’t led for a single second. Despite all of that, UCLA pulled off one of the biggest upsets in college football history, despite all the talent that Penn State had on the field. This Penn State team is reeling right now, and I don’t think they can be trusted after such an embarrassing loss.

As for Northwestern, it has the same record as Penn State at 3-2. It has played the same opponents as the Nittany Lions in Big Ten play, having lost to Oregon but winning against UCLA. The fact that the Wildcats beat UCLA and held it to 14 points makes me think that they have a legitimate shot to beat the Nittany Lions. They are also coming into this game with more momentum than the Nittany Lions, having won back-to-back games. For that reason, I expect Northwestern to give Penn State a battle in this game.

However, despite all the factors being in favor of Northwestern, I think the home-field advantage will play a huge role for the Nittany Lions. This won’t be pretty, but I think Penn State plays much better on defense and wins this game in the end.

Michael Zeno (3-2): Penn State 34, Northwestern 14

I have no idea what to expect now. That UCLA game was truly gut-wrenching and made absolutely zero sense. The only thing I can rely on, at this point, is that the Nittany Lions will be back home and have a true wake-up call after the entire program was put under fire for how terribly last week went. They know they can’t start slow or struggle to beat this Northwestern team with a frustrated crowd that might be booing the pregame intros. Northwestern doesn’t have an SEC transfer QB that can win the game by themselves, and the defense has had a full week of practice to adjust to life without Tony Rojas. Enough is enough; it’s time to get it right.

CJ Gill (3-2): Penn State 15, Northwestern 9

Why would I expect anything else other than a sloppy close game between two teams that both don’t look like they even want to win? That’s what I expect at Beaver Stadium this Saturday: a brand of football nobody enjoys watching for 60 minutes. I haven’t seen any fight from the Nittany Lions so far this year and it would be ignorant to expect some from the blue and white in this game against the Wildcats. I don’t know how, but somehow Penn State gets it done this weekend. It won’t be pretty, but it will be a win, I guess.

Jamie Lynch (3-2): Penn State 27, Northwestern 7

It’s prove-it time for the Nittany Lions. After the gut-punch of a loss to UCLA last week, Penn State has no other option but to win out if it wants a spot in the College Football Playoff.

The injury to star linebacker Tony Rojas leaves a big hole in the defense, as evidenced by the 42 points the team gave up last week. Jim Knowles needs to figure something out if his squad wants to regroup.
I would hope to see Andy Kotelnicki try to change the offensive scheme to better suit Drew Allar, but I have no reason to expect that to happen at this point. Despite this, I like Penn State to take home its first conference win of the season in front of a restless Beaver Stadium crowd.

Ben Rosenbaum (1-0): Penn State 21, Northwestern 7

I’m almost scared to say I think we’ll win this one. Quite honestly, after last week’s abysmal performance, anything could happen in my opinion. However, I still foresee a Penn State victory in the near future. After another slow start (similar to the ones we’ve gotten used to all season), Penn State will start kicking it into high gear. I predict a low-scoring game, with Northwestern jumping out to an early 7-0 lead, before both sides of the ball for the Nittany Lions get into sync. My guess is two touchdowns in the second quarter, to be leading at halftime, followed by another in the third quarter for a 21-7 Lions win.

Jack Anderson-Jussen (1-1): Northwestern 14, Penn State 13

After last week’s pitiful performance against UCLA, my hopes for a blowout win are pretty low. On paper, our offense should handle Northwestern with ease, but when you look at the numbers, things get a little concerning. In September, Northwestern managed to beat UCLA 17–14. Meanwhile, we couldn’t get anything going against the same team. If our guys come out prepared and disciplined, we should take care of business. But if not, buckle up, it could be a long night in Beaver Stadium.

Jason Perry (0-2): Penn State 35, Northwestern 21

Well…here we are. I doubt anyone expected Penn State to be in this situation preseason. A must-win game against a lackluster opponent, and yet I’m not confident that they have what it takes. Northwestern beat UCLA, the team that just shocked the world by taking the Nittany Lions down last week. As a fan, I have to pick Penn State to win, but honestly, it could just as easily be another upset. I hope I’m wrong and we blow them out of the water, but my expectations are as low as they’ve ever been. Penn State needs a miracle to save its season, but right now, the focus should be on going 1-0 against Northwestern.

Alex Wilczynski (0-1): Penn State 29, Northwestern 14

It’s essential that Penn State makes meaningful changes to its gameplay moving forward. After the last two games, I truly believe and would like to hope that the losses have sparked the needed change in order to start winning games again. In my last prediction, I said they’d bounce back strong, but I’m doubling down on that belief for this upcoming matchup. Still, the real test will be whether that change actually shows on the field. If it doesn’t, it could lead to yet another tough and impactful loss.

Melanie Thalhimer (0-0): Penn State 31, Northwestern 14

I’m trying to be optimistic that the season isn’t over…. maybe this week is Drew Allar and the defense’s comeback week? One could only hope!

Brian Kriley (0-0): Penn State 32, Northwestern 17

After a rough last couple of weeks for the Nittany Lions, Penn State should rebound this week against a lackluster Northwestern team. I expect Jim Knowles’s defense to perform much better against a Northwestern offense that lacks a lot of firepower. I thought Drew Allar looked pretty good last week, and the offense as a whole should be able to do enough to walk out of Beaver Stadium with a comfortable win.

Karlee Feger (0-0): Penn State 21, Northwestern 17

Penn State’s defense is going to contribute strongly, and I think Drew Allar is going to take this game very personally.

Oscar Orellana (3-2): Penn State 37, Northwestern 16

I’m so excited to watch Penn State football! Those three bye weeks really did a number on me. I can’t wait to watch James Franklin, Drew Allar, and the boys dominate the Wildcats!

Cooper Cazares (3-2): Penn State 24, Northwestern 10

What in the world has this season come to? This was the team of destiny. National championship or bust. But now, after suffering a loss to UCLA, it seems like the season has already been thrown away. I expect Penn State to get back on track, but I fear that if this game against Northwestern is at all close, a win won’t be enough to win the fanbase’s love back.