Does Penn State finally have missing piece to beat Michigan, Ohio State?

In nearly a decade as Penn State head coach, James Franklin has had great success against almost every team not named Michigan or Ohio State. He's 4-14 against those Big Ten powerhouses and 75-22 against everyone else. In sophomore QB Drew Allar, however, Franklin may finally have the key to leaping his greatest hurdle. 

In a decisive win against West Virginia on Saturday, Allar completed 21 of his 29 passes for 325 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions. He looked incredibly poised in the pocket, showcased his smooth footwork and mature decision-making skills and showed the rocket of an arm that generated so much buzz in the offseason.

This was no fluke, either. Allar finished his high school career as the third-ranked player in the 2022 recruiting class, per 247Sports, and showed flashes of greatness as a freshman in sporadic playing time. Penn State hasn't had a talent like this at QB since Todd Blackledge in the 1980s. And no, that's not hyperbolic. College football experts are already starting to take notice, too.

"I thought Drew Allar would improve their team, all due respect to Sean Clifford, and I think he has," Fox Sports' Joel Klatt said on "The Joel Klatt Show" this week. (Clifford, now a backup QB with the Green Bay Packers, played five seasons for Penn State under Franklin.)

 "I think that this team is better than the 11-2 Rose Bowl champion team from a year ago," Klatt added. "I believe that they will compete in a more prominent way against Michigan and Ohio State this year in the Big Ten East, and I have zero hesitation after that first start."

Despite their winning ways under Franklin, the Nittany Lions have been unable to accomplish their ultimate goal of making the College Football Playoff and competing for a national championship. That's because two impenetrable blockades shaded Scarlet and Gray and Maize and Blue have stood in their path.

During his time at Penn State, Franklin is 1-8 against Ohio State and 3-6 against Michigan. It's impossible to dream of the College Football Playoff when you're already penciling in two losses before the season begins, and that's been the grim reality for the Nittany Lions under Franklin. 

The biggest roadblock for Penn State in its quest to slay the two dragons of the Big Ten East has been a lack of elite talent at quarterback. The Nittany Lions thought they had that with Christian Hackenberg, the No. 1-ranked QB in his high school class, but he failed to live up to expectations and flamed out quickly in the NFL. Then came Trace McSorley, who helped Franklin win his lone Big Ten title in 2016 but didn't possess the elite arm to bring that loaded roster over the top. 

For the past four years, Clifford played adequately, but he wasn't the difference-maker the program needed to take the next step. 

Add an elite quarterback in Allar to a deep roster that has NFL talent all over the field, and the Nittany Lions have themselves a legitimate title contender for the first time since McSorley and Saquon Barkley tore up the Big Ten in 2016. 

As for those two roadblocks, Penn State gets Michigan at home in front of 110,000 screaming fans on Nov. 11. Ohio State on the road on Oct. 21 doesn't look as intimidating with the issues the Buckeyes may have in their quarterback room.