Heading into Week 6 of the college football season, Big Ten front-runner Penn State is hitting the road to take on Northwestern this Saturday at Noon ET on ABC (live stream it on WatchESPN).

The Nittany Lions flew past the Hoosiers last week in a 45-14 victory, meaning they’ve outscored opponents 207-47 in the first five weeks of the season. The closest the team came to a loss was against Iowa in Week 4 on the road, where a narrow two-point victory was enough to keep their undefeated season alive.

Northwestern on the other hand, came out strong in the first half against No. 9 Wisconsin last week, but it fell apart in the second half and couldn’t contain the Badgers offense. The Badgers offense is loaded, but not quite Saquon Barkley loaded, so the Wildcats defense is in for a long day Saturday.

Time, TV channel, and streaming info

• Time: Noon (ET)
• Location: Ryan Field, Evanston, Ill.
• TV: ABC
• Streaming: WatchESPN
• Odds: Penn State is favored by 14 points

Penn State vs. Northwestern news:

• No, Trace McSorley shouldn’t be benched for Tommy Stevens.

I think what this really comes back to is that people see he doesn’t have the physical traits of a prototypical quarterback, so any success he’s had is then chalked up to luck. Because every thing else — you know, like his play on the field — points toward McSorley being a really good quarterback.

• Northwestern’s offense had a lot of issues against Wisconsin last week.

Northwestern gave up TEN sacks on the day and couldn’t create any holes in the running game.

• Penn State released its depth chart, but it might be entirely accurate.
• The Wildcats’ defense will be their saving grace.

By all means, Northwestern’s defense kept them in this game for as long as it could. Given the injury-plagued secondary and poor performances early in the season, it was an impressive effort on the road.

Can the Nittany Lions stay atop the Big Ten conference?

After being overlooked last season, despite finishing at the top of the Big Ten East division and besting Wisconsin in the conference’s championship game, Penn State is making a strong statement for its postseason run. Chugging along behind do-it-all phenom Barkley, the Nittany Lions have been consistently ranked at No. 4 for the past couple of weeks.

The team still has a healthy lead over competition like Michigan and Ohio State, but all three will face each other before seasons end, and the outcomes of those games will be critical if the Nittany Lions are hoping to advance to their first College Football Playoff.

Penn State vs. Northwestern prediction:

Northwestern gave No. 9 ranked Wisconsin a run for its money in the first half of last week’s game, but it’ll be a struggle to even find a modicum of success against Penn State.