Dave Preston is an AP Top 25 voter. Read his ballots here.

That thud you just heard by the shore of Lake Michigan (I’ve been told their islands and bays are for sportsmen) was Penn State’s football season completely coming undone. On an afternoon where Navy continued their fourth quarter heroics and Maryland saw another final period stumble, the Nittany Lions lost 22-21 at Northwestern. It wasn’t supposed to happen for the team from Happy Valley, Pennsylvania.

Fresh off their best season under head coach James Franklin and returning 15 starters including quarterback Drew Allar, the Nittany Lions were ranked No. 2 in the preseason (for the record, I had them No. 1), but three straight losses to start Big Ten play has all but dashed their playoff hopes. Now the overtime defeat to a top 10

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