What a fall from grace it has been for Penn State football over the last three weeks. After a 3-0 start to the season with a chance to control its own destiny, the program is now in free fall thanks to three straight losses.
ESPN’s Football Power Index finally reflected the Nittany Lions’ struggles, giving them a 12.5 power rating which is a 1.2-point decrease from last week. The chances of the team winning the Big Ten or making the College Football Playoff were already slim, but now they are nonexistent.
The index gives Penn State exactly a 0% chance of winning the conference, effectively killing its hopes of truly meaningful December football. This stings even more considering the fact that the Oregon Ducks have taken a massive back from last year, and Michigan has been one of college football’s biggest disappointments.
Ohio State and Indiana are running away with the Big Ten, so those will likely be the teams playing in the conference championship.
Not only do the Nittany Lions have no chance of winning their conference, but their playoff odds are also at exactly 0%. They were barely hanging on by a thread last week, and those hopes have completely evaporated after a home loss to USC.
The adjustment to life in the Big Ten hasn’t gone as smoothly as head coach Matt Campbell had hoped. His team is winless since conference play began, and it’s fair to question how far this team is from contention. After an incredibly promising start to the season, it’s clear that the Nittany Lions have a lot of work to do to become the elite team they’ve always envisioned.
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This article originally appeared on Nittany Lions Wire: Penn State plummets on latest Football Power Index