The college football community, especially in the south, is in an uproar.

Earlier this week, Penn State came home ranked fourth in the latest installment of the College Football Playoff Rankings and SEC media personalities and fans went ballistic.

With three weeks left to go, I have no idea why, but it just goes to show you the superiority complex that region of the country has when it comes to college football.

I did lie a little bit there; I do have an inkling of why all these southern football fans are upset or should I say nervous, and it’s because currently there is a logjam of SEC teams that have two losses, and there is no way that six or seven SEC team are going to qualify for the CFP — which seems to be a travesty to SEC media and SEC fans.

Like I said, there is plenty of football left to play and it will all work itself out, but I thought the outrage from some SEC media pundits were a little over the top this week.

The Nittany Lions have done what most teams have not been able to do this season, which is win all the games that they were supposed to win.

Do I think No. 4 is a little high? Sure, but to act like they shouldn’t even be considered for the CFP is just wrong.

Tennessee lost to 5-4 Arkansas; Texas A&M lost to 6-3 South Carolina; Ole Miss lost to 3-6 Kentucky; Alabama lost to 6-4 Vanderbilt. Those are the types of losses that can’t happen if you want to cast zero doubt.

Again, it will all sort itself out and Penn State still needs to finish the season strong and can’t have a letdown over the next three weeks. The Nittany Lions will be favored in all three, but as we have all seen throughout college football this season, wins don’t come easy, and you can’t take any team lightly.

The Nittany Lions will face off with a struggling 1-8 Purdue team this afternoon (3:30 ET, CBS) as they look to stay on track for a berth into the CFP bracket.

A huge positive for Penn State in its 35-6 win over Washington last week was that it got its run game going again. PSU rushed for 266 yards at almost seven yards per carry and four rushing touchdowns.

Drew Allar was also efficient last week as well, throwing for 220 yards and one touchdown. But it’s the Nittany Lions run game that sets everything else up for them offensively, and it’s important that their rushing attack is at its best for their final three-game stretch of the regular season.

Purdue is one of the worst teams in the country when it comes to defending the run. The Boilermakers are giving up close to 200 yards per game on the ground, which ranks 118th in the nation. Expect to see a heavy dose of Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen later today. PSU ranks 30th in the country in rushing offense, averaging 196.2 yards per game.

The run game is very important to Penn State’s future success this season, but so is the passing game, specifically finding another dependable weapon for Allar besides tight end Tyler Warren. The Nittany Lions’ top wide receivers in Harrison Wallace III, Liam Clifford, Omari Evans and Julian Fleming have all shown flashes, but no one has consistently put together a stretch of big yardage games.

Wallace III could, and should be, that guy and last week he looked like he might just be that guy moving forward. On the season, Wallace III has hauled in 29 catches for 479 yards and two touchdowns. He had five catches for 84 yards last week against the Huskies. He looked to have a breakout game in the season opener against West Virginia where he had five catches for 117 yards and two touchdowns. But since that game, he’s been pretty quiet.

Wallace III is good at getting open, and he has the ability to find the soft spots in the middle of the field. His play will be very important for Penn State moving forward. Allar and Wallace III should have more opportunities this week as well, as Purdue ranks 108th in the country in passing defense, allowing 246.6 yards per game through the air.

Las Vegas has Penn State as a 28.5-point favorite over the Boilermakers.

The Nittany Lions’ defense was once again impressive last week. The PSU defense held the Huskies to 74 yards rushing at 2.24 yards per carry. The Nittany Lions have held 17 of their last 20 Big Ten opponents under 100 rushing yards, and since 2022, Penn State leads the country, holding 25 of its opponents under 100 yards rushing. The Penn State pass rush was also on point last week, collecting five sacks.

Presently, the Nittany Lions’ defense is ranked fourth in the country in total defense, giving up just 269.3 total yards per game. Defensive end Abdul Carter has been on a terror of late. He has collected four sacks over his last two games and is up to eight sacks on the season. He has been making a ton of plays behind the line of scrimmage this season, as he leads all Power Four conference players with 15.5 tackles for loss.

Purdue has struggled to protect the passer, ranking 103rd in sacks allowed per game at 2.7.

My pick is: Penn State 41, Purdue 3.