Penn State football has been a good team under head coach James Franklin, but they haven't been able to get over the hump in the Big Ten East. The Nittany Lions have to go up against Michigan football and Ohio State football every year, and they typically finish below those two teams in the standings. For example, Penn State had a great season last year that saw them go 11-2 and win the Rose Bowl. The two losses? Michigan and Ohio State. This year feels like it could be different, however, as the Nittany Lions have started the season 6-0. Their first big test is against Ohio State this weekend.

James Franklin and Penn State football took down the Buckeyes back in 2016 en route to a surprising Big Ten title run. They have had some great battles with Ohio State football since, but they have yet to come out on top.

“The mental hurdle that Penn State has against this team? I mean James Franklin is 1-8 against Ohio State,” ESPN's Rece Davis said on the College GameDay Podcast this week. “Well-documented struggles, they haven’t won a road game like this against a Top-10 team, poor record against Top-10 teams overall.”

Ohio State has been a national contender in just about every season that James Franklin has been at Penn State. They aren't beating the Buckeyes, and they typically aren't expected to beat them.

“I do think it’s fair to point out that Franklin accumulated some of those losses while building his program, which, certainly, he didn’t arrive with it being in great shape,” Race Davis continued. “The numbers are the numbers but, also, to be totally fair about it? You have to look back and say, ‘Okay, how many of those did you expect them to win that they didn’t?'”

However, while Penn State hasn't won since 2016, they have come mighty close a few times. The Nittany Lions put themselves in good positions to win in both 2017 and 2018, but they couldn't close it out. If Penn State has a chance to win this weekend, they need to go out and finish.

“The one critique that I believe is fair is their inability to finish them, which they haven’t been able to do,” Davis said. “Of course they did it in ’16 when they won the Big Ten. But, in ’17, the year after that? Saquon (Barkley) housed the opening kickoff, they had a 15-point lead in the fourth quarter in The Horseshoe, and lost. The next year? They had a 12-point lead with eight minutes left in the game and lost.”

This season, Penn State has good quarterback play from Drew Allar, they have a powerful run game and they have one of the best defenses in the country. This seems like the Nittany Lions' best chance to get over the hump.

“If not now, when? It’s kind of like if you’re going to beat them in Columbus? This is a pretty good year to try to do it,” Davis said. “I think it’s a really big moment for Penn State and James Franklin.”

Ohio State is coming into this one as the slight favorite, and it should be a terrific game in Columbus on Saturday.