Really, the only strong passing team they've gone up against has been Nebraska, which was their most recent game two weeks ago. The Cornhuskers scorched the Northwestern secondary for 291 yards through the air. Tommy Armstrong threw a touchdow pass -- only the third allowed this year by the Wildcats -- and ran for two scores. Their other three Big Ten opponents -- Minnesota, Michigan, Iowa -- are in the bottom half in pass offense in the Big Ten. Stanford passed for only 155 against them and Duke got 150 yards through the air.

I'm expecting a low-scoring game on Saturday at Northwestern. The two teams are ranked in the Top 20 nationally in points allowed (17.1 points per game for Penn St, 17.6 for Northwestern) and total defense (301.8 yards per game for the Nittany Lions, 310.3 for the Wildcats) and are ranked in the top 10 in pass defense (157.9 yards for Penn State, 164.8 for Northwestern).

Good question. I said before Illinois that they would win two games out of Illinois, Northwestern and Michigan, not sure where the second win comes from. I think Michigan State is playing good football right now and does not lose at home to Penn State.

Ohio State is good (the Inquirer has learned) and J.T. Barrett is one of the best running QBs in the country, a problem for any defense. I think Penn State's linebackers struggled with Maryland's Perry Hills in the game at Baltimore, and it wasn't until the fourth quarter where they seemed to figure out their assignments and limited the Terps to three points in the final 15 minutes. Following assignments has to be the No. 1 priority for Thorson on Saturday. He's not exactly up to the level of Barrett and Hills -- his first 100-yard game of the season came two weeks ago against Nebraska, when he rushed for 126 -- but he's big (6-4, 220) and he can move. I'd be surprised if Thorson had a repeat of his Nebraska game against Penn St.

The coaches absolutely love -- make that, absolutely LOVE -- John Reid. Reid doesn't start but he's getting regular playing time as one of the extra defensive backs -- he was part of a six-DB package often last week against Illinois -- and he backs up starter Grant Haley at one corner. Defensive coordinator Bob Shoop has liked Reid ever since the day he visited the campus after he committed and before he enrolled, when Reid asked Shoop if they could watch game film together. He's a savvy player and he certainly doesn't play like a freshman. He's got a bright future in Happy Valley.

Hackenberg started a little rocky and now he finally seems to be getting into a groove. My gut feeling is that he stays. Although he still is rated as a top-5 quarterback in the draft, he has slipped into the high-2nd, early-3rd round area in some mock drafts. I think he really enjoys being part of this team and wants to see out four years. Now I could be completely wrong but if I had to place a bet, I think he'll stay.

Mr. Brightside, that's an interesting observation. But why should I settle for pizza when I can have steak or a boatload of oranges? It's going to be interesting to see how the Big Ten teams line up for bids to the various bowls that have links to the conference. As of now, Penn St is sixth in the Big Ten in most of the "power rankings" of the conference behind Ohio State, Michigan State, Iowa, Wisconsin and probablyh Northwestern, which is ranked in the first college football playoff poll. So they may miss Florida depending on how the other teams play, although San Diego (Holiday Bowl) isn't a bad consolation prize.

It sounds good in theory, Bill, but the reality is that although Penn State may have a talented roster, much of their roster is young and inexperienced. James Franklin has talked a lot this season about the difference between depth and experienced depth. It really shows itself on the offensive line where there are plenty of talented backups but they're young and haven't really reached the strength levels they need to play in the Big Ten. The young depth is coming on at linebacker with Jake Cooper (from the Phila area) and Manny Bowen but they still need experience. So maybe next year we can discuss a possible conference title run.

I haven't dabbled yet, a little too early for me, although I'll probably take a closer look at the bowl projections after Saturday's game. From what I hear, most of the predictions have Penn State going to either the Holiday Bowl or the Outback Bowl, good locations both.

Whoa, good one! Even though he's a local guy, I was never a big Butler fan. As for Shoop,. we had him on a conference call last week and he was so at ease with us, it was like we were speaking with a friend or acquaintance. He's the kind of guy you'd like to sit down with and talk football without taking note after note after note. I'm sure I would (and you would) learn a lot about defense from Shoop.

I guess I should have said "discuss about contending for" a conference title. There's absolutely no doubt that Ohio State is a major obstacle in the East and it would take an intriguing confluence of events for Penn State to find its way past the Buckeyes and into a Big Ten championship game. So let's not get too hasty

I'm not sure that one leads to the other, T.J. I'm sure there's enough pressure on a coach trying to field a championship-caliber team that will fill a 107,000-seat stadium every week. Sure, the expansions were to expand seating and expand revenues to pay for the other varsity sports at Penn State, but 107,000 might have been a little more than they could handle on a week-by-week basis. A renovation of Beaver Stadium (the preferred choice from what I hear over building a completely new stadium) would be more off the field stuff, making the game-day experience better for fans with better restrooms, more choices at the concession stand, better access for senior citizens and the disabled. It might even reduce capacity if the seats are made a little wider for comfort's sake. That's what happened at Franklin Field, which seated 60,000 in the days the Eagles played there but now seats closer to 50,000 because of slightly wider seats during the stadium's last renovation.

There are some interesting statistics involving Penn State and Northwestern. Penn State has scored on 31 of 34 trips into the red zone (91.2 percent) with 19 touchdowns (55.9 percent). Northwestern has scored on 20 of 24 trips (83.3 percent) but with only seven touchdowns (29.2 percent). The Nittany Lions continue to be near the bottom in FBS in third-down conversions (28.9 percent, 125th out of 127 teams) and red-zone defense (21-23, 91.2 percent, 113th).

Well, that wraps up a pretty quick hour. Thanks to everyone for your participation in our chat. Please check Twitter next week to see if we will be doing the chat on an off-week. Until then, have a great weekend and enjoy the game.