STATE COLLEGE, Pa. — At the beginning of the day, Penn State needed two things to happen in order to earn a berth in the Big Ten Championship Game next weekend in Indianapolis against Oregon. The first was unlikely, a Michigan upset of Ohio State in Columbus.
The Wolverines shocked the Buckeyes 13-10 in a game that ended just before the Nittany Lions kickoff against Maryland. A victory over the Terrapins was the second thing that had to happen. After a very shaky start, PSU took care of business in Beaver Stadium and crushed the Terps 44-7 to book their trip to face the Ducks.
"I've got good news and bad news," said Coach James Franklin to the Penn State locker room after Saturday's win. "We were supposed to have tomorrow off. The good news is, we're practicing because we're in the Big Ten Championship game!"
Penn State fumbled on their first play from scrimmage and Maryland threw a touchdown pass on the very next play. After that, this game was completely one-sided in favor of the Lions as they improved to 11-1 on the season.
The Senior Day win should also lock up a spot in the College Football Playoffs for PSU. If they beat Oregon and win the Big Ten title, they'll receive a bye into the CFP Quarterfinals. If they lose in Indy, they will most likely be given a home game in the first round of the 12-team playoff and host a game in Beaver Stadium on either December 20th or 21st.
