Penn State football has been good under head coach James Franklin, but the Nittany Lions have kind of lived in the shadow of Michigan and Ohio State ever since winning the Big Ten in 2016. They are always a good team, but in the loaded Big Ten East division, the Wolverines and Buckeyes often receive most of the attention. Last season, Penn State went 11-2 and their only losses were to those two division foes. The Nittany Lions have another very talented team yet again in 2023, but it will be a difficult test to get over the hump and win the division over Michigan and Ohio State.

Fans of Penn State football believe that this will be the year, and a major reason for that is quarterback Drew Allar. Allar is a sophomore and this is his first year as the starter. Many fans wanted him to play last year over Sean Clifford, that's how much they like him in Happy Valley. Allar has looked good so far this season and has helped Penn State coast to wins over West Virginia, Delaware and Illinois. However, he will get his biggest test so far as Iowa football is coming to town this weekend for a white out night game. The Hawkeyes stingy defense will be tricky for Allar to navigate, and it should be a fantastic Big Ten battle. Here are four predictions for the big matchup.

Drew Allar will throw for 300 yards

Going into this game, many are expecting a low-scoring, defensive slugfest. Iowa has a great defense that can keep them in the game, but their offense isn't nearly as good. However, this seems like it could be a breakout game for Drew Allar. The hype is there, but we haven't seen him take on a defense like this yet. It's at home, under the lights and a white out. It seems like a good night for a big performance from the young quarterback.

Drew Allar will throw for two or more touchdowns

This might not sound like a very extreme prediction, but this would be a huge win for Allar against the Iowa football defense. If he throws for 300+ yards and has two touchdowns, it will be a great performance that not many people are expecting. Allar and the Penn State offense are going to come out and show that they deserve the recognition that the other teams in their division are getting. QB1 is going to have a big game.

Penn State will hold Iowa to under 10 points

The Iowa football offense and the Penn State white out under the lights don't mix well. The Hawkeyes brought in transfer quarterback Cade McNamara from Michigan, and the offense certainly looks better than it did last year, but it still doesn't look good. The environment at Beaver Stadium is going to be too much for the Hawkeyes offense to handle, and they will find little success in this game.

Penn State will win by three scores

The line heading into this one is 15 in favor of the Nittany Lions, and Penn State should cover it pretty easily. Iowa isn't going to score very many points, and with the raucous home crowd behind them, the Nittany Lions should get momentum early and stick with it. Expect Iowa to hang around for a little bit, but Penn State will ultimately pull away and get a relatively easy win.

Iowa vs. Penn State kicks off at 7:30 PM ET on Saturday night in State College, PA.