Let’s get right to it.

Penn State has a chance to show the country that its quest for a College Football Playoff berth is for real this week as the No. 19-ranked Illinois Fighting Illini come to Beaver Stadium tonight (7:30 p.m., NBC).

There is a lot of hype surrounding Illinois after its big win in Lincoln against a then-ranked Nebraska squad last Friday.

Illinois also has a win over a previously ranked Kansas team in week two.

The sparring on social media started earlier in the week after a video clip of Fighting Illini head coach Bret Bielema was cut to make it seem like Bielema was saying that the “white out energy” that Penn State head coach James Franklin was calling for, from the Penn State fans to present a tough atmosphere for the Illini, was basically nothing to fear.

The entire clip features a lot of complementary comments about the Penn State football program, but the cut-up clip is taken out of context to indeed fire up both fan bases.

It will no doubt be a raucous atmosphere inside Beaver Stadium in what is now a prime time Big Ten opener for the Nittany Lions.

I said last week that Penn State needed to look sharp against one of the worst teams in FBS Division 1 in Kent State last week. That’s exactly what the Nittany Lions were able to do, setting a school-record for total yards with 718. Drew Allar once again looked poised and accurate, throwing for 309 yards and three touchdowns.

The Penn State offense is really starting to take on an identity and that identity — believe it or not — is explosive plays, which was one of the main things plaguing this team a season ago. Presently, the Nittany Lions rank second in the nation in big play percentage (22.73).

Penn State is also just one of two teams in the nation averaging 250-plus passing yards and 250-plus rushing yards per game, with the other team being Tennessee.

What you’re seeing from new offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki is what most good offensive coordinators strive to do and that is getting the ball in space to your playmakers. If you look at the numbers of Nick Singleton, Kaytron Allen, Tyler Warren, Harrison Wallace III, Omari Evans and others, you can see that’s exactly what is happening.

I think that will be a major factor this week yet again against Illinois.

Penn State possesses speed on both offense and defense that the Illini have not yet seen, so far, this season. I think it’s something you will see the Nittany Lions take advantage of. Last week, Illinois gave up almost 300 yards through the air and three touchdowns to the Cornhuskers. The Illini defense has been very solid this season, and they have been good at generating turnovers.

The Illini secondary has been impressive with seven interceptions, so Allar will need to take care of the football. But Allar continues to show his ability to manipulate the pocket with his legs, and again I just think Penn State’s athletes are faster than Illinois’ athletes.

Keep an eye out for speedster Omari Evans this week. He’s been a big play option for PSU this season, with eight catches for 205 yards and two touchdowns. Evans has been looking better every week and don’t be surprised if Kotelnicki moves him around to utilize his speed and playmaking ability to create match-up issues.

This is a big week, as well, for the Nittany Lions’ defense. Illinois quarterback Luke Altmyer has been the talk of the college football walk this week, as he has put up some impressive numbers to start the season. Altmyer has thrown for 862 yards with 10 touchdowns and zero interceptions.

Again, this is by far the best front the Illini have seen and Illinois, first and foremost, always wants to establish its running game. A lot of what the Illini do on offense is predicated on them running the football with success. That is again an area where Penn State thrives in defending the run.

This is a game where the Nittany Lions defensive front could really show the nation how good they are supposed to be. On the season, PSU is allowing just 85 rushing yards per game. Kaden Feagin leads the Illinois rushing attack with 242 yards and three touchdowns.

Las Vegas has Penn State as a 19.5 favorite.

I like this match-up for the Nittany Lions. Illinois is a good football team, and they have done some really good things, and they have beaten some quality opponents. But I think this PSU team is very focused right now. If you look at the season as whole, Penn State has played one bad half of football against Bowling Green, and I don’t know if you can say that after the Falcons went down to Texas A&M and almost knocked off the Aggies in College Station last week.

The Nittany Lions’ offense has looked good all year and the defense has been very solid as well. I think this could be a big breakout performance for the Penn State defensive front, and I think you could see the defense really ramp up the pressure to get Altmyer off balance.

Throw in some more explosive plays on offense and once again a strong running performance from Singleton, and I see PSU taking care of business in convincing fashion.

My pick is Penn State 38, Illinois 17.