Nittany Lions were 7-0 in 2017, before losing to Ohio State. They were 4-0 in 2018, before again losing to Ohio State. They were 8-0 in 2019, shortly before their Big Ten title hopes were ended by Ohio State. They were 6-0 last season, before suffering another loss to Ohio State.
Ohio State also faces an elite defense, but one which hasn’t yet faced a top-30 offense and just one top-50 passing attack, which came when 13th-place USC put up 30 and led by two touchdowns.
James Franklin’s failures haven’t been limited to matchups with the Buckeyes. He is 2-17 against top-10 teams at Penn State.