The excitement is fuming in Happy Valley as James Franklin’s team will go up against their first-ranked opponent of the season. That’s right, fresh off an impressive 52-6 win against Villanova, they now sit at a 3-0 record. But despite the win, Franklin’s team is not getting the flowers they deserve. That’s right. Penn State’s AP Poll drop from no. 2 to no. 3 is not a fluke but a result of voters siding with their teams. And that’s precisely what Nittany Lions’ rivals did, voting them out of the top 10. That’s a big blow for a team that went to the playoffs last season and is still undefeated this year.

Penn State fans didn’t expect them to lose any ground this week, but they still dropped. And with that, Miami jumps right to the 2nd spot after beating Florida 26-7 this week, and Ohio State stands firm at the No. 1 spot. So, why exactly did it happen? Penn State reporter Austin Bechtold points straight at it on X, saying, “Two AP voters put Penn State at No. 12, and one of Ohio State’s beat writers has Penn State at No. 11.” Really?? Surprised by this.” That’s right; Ohio State’s beat writer, Stephen Means, voted for Penn State at no. 11, and two others, Steven Johnson and Sean Reider, have placed them at no. 12.

Putting a team like Penn State out of the top 10 is a bit surprising, but here’s the deal. Miami just won against a ranked opponent and even took two others down in the league. Even Ohio State won against the Texas Longhorns in week 1, and if we talk about Penn State, they have won against Nevada, FIU, and Villanova, which might be one reason for their fall. This week, James Franklin’s team got 1,460 votes, in which five were first place, 27 more than LSU, but 19 fewer than Miami. So, it makes sense why they dropped from 2nd.

On top of that, James Franklin’s record against top-ranked teams isn’t that great either. He has won just one game in eleven chances against top-5 teams, and that was against Ohio State back in 2016. When he came to Happy Valley, he already had a 0-5 record and had lost 15 of 17 games against top ten teams till 2022. So, it’s clear that Franklin has an inconsistent run against ranked teams, and Oregon will be their real test this season. They might return to the second spot if they win against them.

Talking of Ryan Day’s team, they won against six ranked teams last season, whereas Penn State won against three and even lost against three, including Ohio State, Oregon, and Notre Dame. But this time the odds seem to say a different story, as there’s a chance that James Franklin’s team will show up strong against their rivals this week.

Does the James Franklin team have a shot against Oregon?

Despite James Franklin’s rough record against ranked teams, they enter Week 5 as absolute favorites. That’s right, FanDuel Sportsbook places Oregon as 3.5-point underdogs, which shows the odds are still leaning towards Penn State. Fresh off a dominant win of 41-7 against Oregon State, this isn’t the odds Dan Lanning’s team would have been expecting after beating them last year, too.

But for now, they must fight hard to go against the odds. And they can do it pretty well. But how? With Oregon’s key weapon, Dante Moore, who’s been nothing but electric through four weeks, throwing for 962 yards with 11 TDs and only one interception. Beside him, even James Franklin’s backfield is pretty strong, with WRs Gary Bryant Jr., Dakorien Moore, Jeremiah McClellan and TE Kenyon Sadiq all recording touchdowns and making an impact against Oregon State.

Best part? Their OL has allowed one sack this season; that might give them an upper hand against Penn State. However, even Penn State enters the White Out game as the true leader, as their QB Drew Allar has been turning heads since the start, passing for 626 yards, four touchdowns, and one interception. Even their backfield has exceptional WRs: Kaytron Allen, who recorded 273 rushing yards and 3 TDs, and Nicholas Singleton, who has 179 rushing yards with 5 TDs.

Now, after a bye week, Penn State should come up strong against Oregon because it’s their chance to prove their dominance against a ranked team.