The Nittany Lions are headed back to the West Coast.

Penn State football is set to face Washington in Week 10 as it tries to string together a Big Ten win streak after taking down Purdue 31-17 at Beaver Stadium in Week 9.

The win signified Matt Campbell’s first Big Ten win. Washington is coming off back-to-back conference wins over Purdue and Nebraska, both on the road.

Can Penn State turn one win into two, or will the Huskies send the Nittany Lions on a long plane ride back to Happy Valley?

Here’s what our staff thinks will happen on Penn State’s longest road trip of the year.

Brandon Collica (4-3): Penn State 20, Washington 16

The Nittany Lions will travel to Seattle to take on the Huskies in a battle to reach bowl eligibility. Washington is coming off a comeback win over Nebraska, scoring 14 points in the last minute.

Penn State is coming off a win over Purdue, which ended its four-game losing skid. The Penn State offense didn’t look half bad against Purdue, and I think the Nittany Lions can continue that on the road against Washington.

Christopher Green (2-3): Penn State 24, Washington 17

I think this is the game where Koby Howard will make his long-awaited return. Campbell will travel to Husky Stadium for the first time with the Nittany Lions, and I think they will pull away with a hard-fought win to help their chances of going bowling.

Cooper Allmaras (1-4): Penn State 35, Washington 28

I believe Penn State having a win under its belt gives it better morale to go out there and get more wins. Washington can also keep games close with anyone, but it doesn’t know how to finish them.

In the end, I think Rocco Becht will finally step up and lead the team to a one-touchdown win.

Emery Molnar (1-1): Penn State 23, Washington 20

Both teams have had similar scores against certain Big Ten teams, such as Purdue and USC, so this should set up to be an interesting matchup.

Assuming Penn State can keep the run going with Cam Wallace and at least get Chase Sowell back, I think it can squeeze out a close win.

Gabriel Alpher (0-1): Penn State 27, Washington 20

The Nittany Lions will be riding high off their first Big Ten win and will take that momentum out west to take down the Huskies.

Holden Mostofsky (3-5): Penn State 20, Washington 26

Penn State’s red-zone offense has struggled this season, and I’m a big fan of the Washington defensive line. The Huskies have a lot of grit, and some of the Nittany Lion offensive linemen have struggled. I think Penn State will put up a fight, but the Huskies will triumph.

Ian Becker (2-3): Penn State 24, Washington 21

Coming off their first Big Ten win of the season, I expect the Nittany Lions to be fired up. Unfortunately, they have to travel across the country to face their opponent.

The travel and fatigue affect most teams negatively, but I think the Nittany Lions can fight through it. Washington has a solid squad and keeps games close, so expect a nail-biter.

But if Penn State can keep its newfound running game going, I think it can just get past the Huskies.

Jake Speicher (3-2): Penn State 21, Washington 17

The Halloween spirits from last week have graciously allowed Penn State to harvest its dark energy for another win. The witch doctor is unsure why. More details to follow postgame.

Jason Perry (6-1): Penn State 28, Washington 20

After a much-needed win last week, the Nittany Lions need to keep the momentum going on the road. Washington is a tougher opponent than Purdue, but the Huskies have looked very beatable lately. Penn State has what it takes to win this game; it just has to play like it.

Michael Zeno (6-2): Penn State 31, Washington 23

Will Howard be back? Nobody seems to know, but if he is, this offense may come together. Wallace seems to have taken the bull by the horns, and despite how awful Purdue’s run defense is, I thought the effort and blocking execution we saw were way better than normal.

Washington’s had an uneven year, and while it has a good home-field advantage, this game lost its previous luster. Plus, the Nittany Lions avoided the dreaded 11 p.m. start. Gimme the Nittany Lions.

Tadhg Gorman (1-3): Penn State 27, Washington 21

After the Purdue win, hopefully the team can build momentum to finish the season strong.

Cadyn Gill (6-2): Penn State 24, Washington 31

I’m worried about several things for Penn State’s matchup with the Huskies.

Firstly, traveling to the West Coast from central Pennsylvania is never easy. Flying has been shown to negatively affect on-field performance via dehydration and circadian rhythm disruption. It’s a biological disadvantage for the away team.

Then you throw in Howard’s injury status. Campbell didn’t sound confident Howard would increase his practice involvement this week, which leads me to believe he will once again be ruled out before Saturday’s kickoff. Sowell should be back, which certainly helps. But even with Sowell, Penn State’s offense has yet to prove itself against a good Big Ten defense.

Furthermore, I don’t trust what we saw from Penn State’s running game against Purdue. For context, Washington ranks dead last in the Big Ten for offensive rushing yards per game. When the Huskies beat the Boilermakers 38-26, they rushed for 186 yards and averaged 5.5 yards per carry. On top of that, Washington failed to produce a 100-yard rusher in any of its eight games, except one: Purdue.

Lastly, Washington’s defense certainly isn’t elite, but it excels at creating turnovers, ranking No. 2 in the Big Ten for interceptions with 12. Becht must protect the football on the road, which he hasn’t shown he can do so far.

As much as I want to declare Penn State football back after it ended a four-game skid, I simply can’t until I see a string of respectable outings.

Jamie Lynch (4-4): Penn State 32, Washington 28

Don’t let the Nittany Lions get hot.

Wallace has been unleashed, the offensive line seems to have figured out how to run block, and Sowell, who’s been on an exponential trajectory this season, is likely to return.

Penn State doesn’t play around when it comes to Washington. From Saquon Barkley racking up 137 yards in the 2017 Fiesta Bowl when he could have been resting for the draft to Tyler Warren putting his body on the line in the 2024 White Out, the Nittany Lions have a history of grit when the Huskies are on the opposing sideline.

You know why? Penn State’s not soft. Penn State’s not from the West Coast. Penn State’s from Pennsylvania, baby.

I trust Campbell and the Cam-plan to get it done this weekend.

Oscar Orellana (6-2): Penn State 27, Washington 20

Penn State cannot come out flat after its best offensive performance of the season against Purdue. Washington has a middle-of-the-pack Big Ten run defense, so it’ll be interesting to see whether the Nittany Lions keep feeding Wallace and Carson Hansen or expand the game plan to James Peoples and Quinton Martin Jr. once more.

Purdue has the second-worst run defense in the conference, which might have skewed last week’s results just a little bit. But I still am on the Wallace hype train and think the win paid massive dividends for the vibe in the locker room. The players seem eager to end the season strong and contend for a bowl game.

This game will be won under center. Becht has to protect the football. We just saw Washington escape Nebraska by the skin of its teeth with two touchdowns in the final 1:30, one of them a pick-six that all but clinched the win.

Becht has a history of late turnovers in rough environments (cough, cough, Michigan) and cannot make the same mistakes and let talented Husky signal-caller Demond Williams Jr. take advantage.

Just like Purdue, though, I think Penn State will make just enough plays down the stretch to gut out a solid culture win for Campbell. I also think travel worries are a complete hoax. Spot the ball. That is not a valid excuse if the team comes out looking horrible.

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