No. 13 Minnesota stays unbeaten by taking down No. 5 Penn State

USA TODAY

One of the three unbeatens was going to lose in the Big Ten this weekend. It was expected to be Minnesota with No. 5 Penn State coming to town as a touchdown favorite.

But the Golden Gophers pulled another surprise during a surprising season that has the 13th-ranked team in the country at 9-0 with a 31-26 defeat of the Nittany Lions.

It's just the third time since 1905 the school has had nine wins in a season. And there's more possible. Victories against against No. 16 Wisconsin and No. 18 Iowa later this month would put Minnesota into the Big Ten championship game and squarely in College Football Playoff contention.

Minnesota jumped out early against a Penn State defense ranked in…