Surely a 55-13 win wouldn’t come with any overreactions, right? Right?

Penn State football dismantled Buffalo on Saturday to close out its non-conference slate. The Nittany Lions finally got the run game going, allowed only 60 passing yards, and emphasized their special teams work as a crucial part of winning games.

As always, the dominant showing didn’t keep Penn State fans from throwing around some wild takes as the Nittany Lions head into Big Ten play.

Here’s what our staff has to say about them.

Rocco Becht Is A Top-Five Quarterback In The Country

Cadyn Gill: I’ve been overly impressed with Rocco Becht’s anticipatory throws and pocket presence, but given the lack of legitimate competition, I can’t crown him as a top-five quarterback yet.

Let’s see how he does against heightened Big Ten defenses with schemes designed to throw him off post-snap.

Jamie Lynch: Becht has done nothing but ball out since putting on a Penn State uniform. His poise in the pocket is refreshing, and he can put a ball on the money when it counts.

It’s so hard to evaluate who the top-5 quarterbacks are this early in the season. Many people would put Julian Sayin on that list, but his arsenal of weapons is greater than that of Becht’s, and even so, their stats are relatively equal. 

All I will say is that Becht is the right man for the Penn State job, and he’s done nothing to dissuade me from believing he’s one of the top arm talents in the nation.

Oscar Orellana: I have Becht stock all the way to the moon. He has played phenomenally and done exactly what is needed of him. He’s not high on many of the stat sheets, but that just signals how effective he is.

Becht has also hardly played in the second half so far outside of Temple.

The whole team is bought into him. I don’t think he’s top-five, but can certainly earn that distinction by season’s end. He’s easily top-three in the Big Ten, though.

Koby Howard Is Already Penn State’s Best Receiver Season Of The Last Five Years

Cadyn Gill: Wow, this is pathetic. Absolutely no shot at Koby Howard; he’s a monster and will only get better. It’s more of an indictment of Penn State’s previous regime’s inability to recruit or develop perimeter playmakers.

Howard’s 344 yards rank seventh in the nation through three games, and his consistent ability to get loose, whether that’s while battling coverage or shaking tackles after the catch, is a trait we haven’t seen in a Penn State receiver in a while.

Jamie Lynch: I guess Jahan Dotson’s 2021 campaign was technically six seasons ago, so yeah, this is a no-brainer. 

When Becht targets Howard, I’m automatically on the edge of my seat. His ability to make contested catches as well as turn separation into explosive plays is akin to nothing Penn State has seen in quite some time.

The Nittany Lions have had some high-quality receivers in recent memory, such as Parker Washington, but none of them have been true game-changers. Howard’s goal of 1,000 yards on the year is more than attainable.

Oscar Orellana: Liam Clifford literally exists?

I’m obviously kidding. Howard has been a breath of fresh air just through three games in 2026. He can have half the production in every other game that he had on Saturday, and it would still trump pretty much anything any other wideout has done for the Nittany Lions since 2021.

That makes me honestly kind of agree with this. Many have shown flashes, but nobody has outright dominated when given their chance like Howard has so soon.

I think he will firmly have the title in hand by the bye week.

Penn State Has The Most Well-Rounded Receiving Room In The Big Ten

Cadyn Gill: The Ohio State Buckeyes would like a word. You could also argue that USC having three guys in the top 25 of Big Ten receiving yards makes them part of the upper echelon.

I think Howard, Chase Sowell, Brett Eskildsen, and Zay Robinson form a dangerous unit, but they need more volume to truly stand out amongst the rest of the conference.

Jamie Lynch: The Buckeyes might have the best wide receiver room in the country, let alone the Big Ten. I don’t like to give the scarlet and grey credit, but I will when it is due.

Oscar Orellana: I love Howard, Sowell, Robinson, and Eskildsen as much as anyone, but Ohio State literally exists.

Nobody in college football, let alone the Big Ten, is competing with that.

Quinton Martin Jr. Has To Be RB1 Against Wisconsin

Cadyn Gill: I still don’t believe Penn State needs to deploy an “RB1” this season. All four guys can clearly tote the rock, so just keep rotating them!

James Peoples is the most explosive of the quartet, in my opinion, so keeping him fresh and letting him be a home run hitter is essential to the offense.

An even 25% split dished out four ways among Peoples, Quinton Martin Jr., Cam Wallace, and Carson Hansen truly wouldn’t be ridiculous.

Jamie Lynch: I will admit, I was originally a Hansen truther. And while I’m not ready to commit to a permanent RB1, I can confidently say Hansen isn’t the man for the job.

Peoples looked really solid against Buffalo, as did Martin, of course. I want the two of them splitting carries against Wisconsin, and we can evaluate the depth chart from there.

In the very small sample size we have of Martin, he has racked up 100 yards in two of his past four games. On the flip side, except for last weekend, his yards per carry have been eyebrow-raising.

I’m very interested in seeing the results of giving Martin a solid workload against a Big Ten opponent, but I have confidence.

Oscar Orellana: Hard disagree. Martin clearly showed he deserves as many reps as anyone on Saturday against Buffalo, but I’d roll with Peoples for now.

Peoples can get to the edge, and something in my gut just tells me he’s the path forward at this point in time.

I think everybody deserves a quality amount of carries, but it’s clear the Hansen experiment is over. Give Peoples the rock to open against the Badgers, evenly distribute the game between Martin, Wallace, and Hansen, and watch the run game continue to improve.

Penn State Will Struggle Heavily Against Wisconsin Due To Its Non-Conference Schedule

Cadyn Gill: I do think Penn State will be challenged on Saturday.

I’ve hated playing such non-competitive programs to open the season because the jump in physicality and talent to Power Four schools is real. In particular, I expect Penn State’s passing attack to be challenged, with cornerbacks playing tighter coverage and improved pass rushers pressuring Becht to speed up his internal clock.

Jamie Lynch: Heavily?! Yeah, okay. 

Penn State has had notably easy non-conference schedules year in and year out and is typically able to handle the Big Ten opener with relative ease. Last year was obviously an exception given Oregon’s No. 6 ranking, but even still, the Nittany Lions put up more than a fight.

Wisconsin is always seen as a trap game no matter what. There are just some opponents on Penn State’s schedule that will always get looked at in that regard, Minnesota being another.

There’s a good chance this game could wind up being closer than expected, but you can’t possibly attribute that to strength of schedule.

Oscar Orellana: There’s literally no way to know this, and I’m pretty tired of seeing people discredit Penn State’s wins just because of the non-conference slate. Every team is Division I with Division I talent. Matt Campbell also had no control over games scheduled years ago.

Wisconsin has already been tested against a Power Four opponent in Notre Dame in Week 1, but the Badgers got throttled 41-13 despite hanging tough in the first half.

The Badgers are clearly a step up in competition level, but I don’t see Penn State struggling more than anyone would to open Big Ten play. It’s a special game for Campbell and will be a clear marker for where the team’s at, but I’d be shocked if the Nittany Lions crash badly on Saturday.