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Late Hits: Despite loss, Ohio State still can win Big Ten, gain playoff spot

Penn State’s upset of Ohio State on Saturday night might not have fundamentally changed the Big Ten race, or by extension the playoff race, but it was a good reminder that there’s a reason they play the games.

The Nittany Lions, 39-point losers at Michigan a month ago, completed only eight passes and converted only twice on third down but still found a way to hand Urban Meyer a rare Big Ten loss, 24-17 in Happy Valley.

Meyer, in his fifth season at Ohio State, has won 34 of 36 conference games. There was little to suggest before the game, or even after the Buckeyes took a 21-7 lead into the fourth quarter, that Penn State would win.