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Some nitpicking as the Nittany Lions try to stay focused at Purdue:
n The Boilermakers have a history of upsetting top teams, especially at home.
In total, Purdue has 17 wins over Top 5 teams, more than any other team in the history of the Associated Press poll, which began in 1936.
The Boilermakers have seven wins against ranked opponents over the past six seasons, including three against teams ranked in the Top 3 (No. 2 Ohio State in 2018, No. 2 Iowa in 2021, No. 3 Michigan State in 2021).
Penn State goes to West Lafayette ranked No. 4, and while the Lions should always be on upset alert because of Purdue's history, this does not appear to be the Boilers' year to spring a surprise.
In two matchups vs. Top 5 teams, Oregon and Ohio State, Purdue has yet to score, losing by 35 and 45 points.
The Boilers (1-8) also yielded 66 points to Notre Dame and 52 points to offensively-challenged Wisconsin.
More likely, as the first of a two-game Big Ten road swing with Minnesota on deck next week, this is a chance for Penn State to get started quickly, rest starters and cue its reserves for some second-half action.
The redshirting rule that allows players to participate in four games without burning a year of eligibility also factors into games like today.
Seeing how close the Lions come to dominating Purdue in the same manner Oregon and Ohio State did will be something the College Football Playoff committee is monitoring.
n The College Football Playoff rankings didn't take long to stir controversy, and Penn State is in the crosshairs.
The Lions are slotted at No. 4 in the rankings and at No. 6 in the bracket because lower seeded (championship) teams from the ACC and Big 12, currently projected to be Miami and BYU, will receive first-round byes.
National media types such as Paul Finebaum and Chris Russo are discrediting Penn State's resume, and they have a point.
Finebaum, known as the "mouth of the south," questioned "What has Penn State done?" to deserve its stature, and Russo, a rapid-fire talk show host out of New York, echoed the same.
Both are giants in the industry and will not be outscreamed.
This is the time of the year when schedules, quality wins and respectable losses will be scrutinized.
While winning at West Virginia, USC and Wisconsin is admirable, none of those three are enjoying banner seasons. The fact is Penn State's best resume item is its competitive 20-13 loss to Ohio State.
Georgia, meanwhile, despite its two losses, can claim a win at Texas while Alabama, also with two losses, defeated Georgia.
Penn State should be pretty automatic in the field if it can finish 11-1, but it cannot afford another loss (like at Minnesota) if it's going to match cards with two-loss SEC teams that have played more challenging schedules.
Indiana is in the same boat as the Nits. The Hoosiers are the story of the year in college football and their coach, Curt Cignetti, former head man at IUP, is a candidate for national honors.
But the Hoosiers don't have a quality win and need to play competitively at Ohio State next week to stay in the CFP conversation.
n Nick Singleton's season has been interrupted by some nagging injuries, which is why it won't be surprising if his workload is limited Saturday. Singleton averaged 102 yards in the Lions' first four games and 33.7 in the last four games.
n James Franklin said freshman quarterback Ethan Grunkenmeyer "has really turned it on" lately. If the Lions can put away Purdue early, maybe Grunk gets a chance to play a couple late series.
n Bill O'Brien suffered a blow at Boston College when his former starting quarterback, Thomas Castellanos, announced this week he's leaving the program -- a couple days after his benching. It's nice for the players to have flexibility, but there is currently too much freedom that comes at the expense of the team. The NCAA needs to get a handle on this.
n The NFL deadline to declare for the 2025 NFL draft is Wednesday, Jan. 15 -- less than a week after the CFP semifinals. Players participating in the CFP final will have until Jan. 24 to declare.
Rudel can be reached at nrudel@altoonamirror.com. He will respond to questions and brief comments in Gameday.