Some losses sting. Others make you sit there and wonder how on earth the game got away. Penn State just had one of those Saturdays. The No. 13 Nittany Lions were cruising against Wisconsin at home. Up 20-10 in the fourth quarter. Their Big Ten opener looked like it was headed where everyone expected. Then everything unraveled.

Wisconsin stormed back to win 24-20, handing Matt Campbell a brutal loss in his first season at Penn State and giving AP Top 25 voters another headache before the next rankings arrive. The Badgers had not beaten the Nittany Lions in 15 years, and they had not won at Beaver Stadium since 2003.

The Badgers had not beaten the Nittany Lions since 2011, and they had not won at Beaver Stadium since 2003. Now, that streak is broken, and Penn State faces an uphill climb to save its season. With heavyweights like Ohio State and Oregon waiting further down the schedule, dropping a home game to an unranked team leaves Matt Campbell’s program searching for quick answers before their season completely spirals.

The collapse was not just about one bad defensive series. Penn State’s offense had plenty of trouble of its own. Rocco Becht managed only 114 passing yards, a sharp departure from the QB who had thrown for 751 yards and nine touchdowns without an interception through Penn State’s first three games. Still, the Nittany Lions had a chance to escape.

They led 17-0 early, helped by Josiah Zayas returning an interception for a touchdown and Becht adding a short rushing score. A field goal pushed the lead to 20-10 in the third quarter. But Wisconsin refused to stay behind.

Colton Joseph found Eugene Hilton Jr. for an 11-yard touchdown with 3:31 left, cutting the deficit to 20-17. Then came the play that will haunt Penn State’s defense. With 1:13 remaining, Joseph found Jacob Harris for a 72-yard touchdown after a coverage breakdown. With that, Wisconsin went from trying to survive to leading 24-20. And the Badgers nearly gave Penn State another chance.

The final drive had a chance, but Penn State just couldn’t make it count. Rocco Becht got the ball at the Penn State 49 with 39 seconds left. First-and-10. He dropped back and missed Brett Eskildsen. The next snap went much better. Becht hit Chase Sowell for 22 yards, moving Penn State all the way to the Wisconsin 29. Then came the sack.

Rocco Becht went back to pass and was dropped for a four-yard loss. Penn State burned its second timeout. What followed was three straight incompletions. Sowell couldn’t come up with the next target. Then Becht missed Andrew Rappleyea. Penn State called its final timeout. Wisconsin used one of its own. One play remained. Becht dropped back again, looking for Benjamin Brahmer. It fell incomplete. And just like that, the comeback chance was gone.

For a team that entered the afternoon ranked No. 13, the ending was ugly. Penn State had the lead, the home crowd, and a 17-point cushion. It walked away with a loss that will dominate the next AP poll conversation. But the Nittany Lions were the only ranked team to get ambushed by an unranked opponent.

Louisville missed one final kick to save the game

No. 16 Louisville also walked into Saturday expecting to handle business and instead watched Wake Forest celebrate a 30-27 road upset. This one came down to a different kind of final-play drama. Connor Calvert had already kicked three field goals for the Demon Deacons, including a 32-yarder with 6:20 left that ultimately proved to be the winning points. Gio Lopez threw for 225 yards and a touchdown, while Carlos Hernandez exploded for nine catches and 194 yards. Ty Clark III added 91 rushing yards and two touchdowns. 

Louisville had one last chance to tie it. A 57-yard field-goal attempt was lined up with 15 seconds remaining. Then Wake Forest blocked it. That sealed the victory. The Demon Deacons improved to 3-1 and picked up their first ACC win of the season, while Louisville dropped to 2-2. 

These were not just embarrassing home losses. They completely wrecked both teams’ season goals. In today’s 12-team playoff era, losing a conference opener at home means Penn State no longer has any margin for error in a brutal Big Ten.

Meanwhile, Louisville dropping to 2-2 overall and losing ground in the ACC effectively kills their chances of making the conference title game before October even starts. Both programs are now set to slide way down, or drop completely out of Sunday’s new AP Top 25 rankings.

Two ranked teams vs. two unranked opponents, with the outcome decided in the final moments. For Penn State, it was a blown fourth-quarter lead and a final drive that went nowhere. For Louisville, it was one kick that never had a chance. Either way, Saturday just made the AP voters’ job considerably harder.